DHCP not working, won't start

[saint.duo]

Apple Server Admin thinks that DHCP is starting, but, I'm getting the following error in the console when I tell it to start, and DHCP doesn't work.

Here's the error

inetd[545]: bootp/udp: unknown service


Everything else works. DNS, Web, Server Admin, Mac Manager, FTP, Telnet, SSH. All of it. Just not DHCP.

anyone have any ideas?

[saint.duo]

Well, after some digging, I figured out that the entry in inetd.conf was incorrect for the bootp (dhcp) service.

My inted.conf file showed the entry as

bootp dgram udp wait root /usr/libexec/tcpd bootpd


I found out, between doing locate for bootpd, and looking in the man pages for bootpd, that the entry in inetd.conf is SUPPOSED to be

bootps dgram udp wait root /usr/libexec/bootpd bootpd


After changing this in the inted.conf file using sudo pico in the terminal, DHCP now starts, runs, distributes IPs, and starts at reboot without any complaints.

[mervTormel]

hmmm, did you install TCP wrappers recently?

do you have:

% ll /usr/libexec/tcpd
-r-xr-xr-x 1 root wheel 28k Dec 20 18:36 /usr/libexec/tcpd*

i ask because my inetd.conf is suddenly using tcpd (tcp wrappers) around all the service calls, and the services are listed without full paths. if you changed the bootp service for tcpd to call /usr/libexec/bootpd , i wonder if it'd worked.

why is my inetd.conf suddenly using tcp wrappers?

% cat /etc/inetd.conf
#
# Internet server configuration database
#
# @(#)inetd.conf 5.4 (Berkeley) 6/30/90
#
# Items with double hashes in front (##) are not yet implemented in the OS.
#
#finger stream tcp nowait nobody /usr/libexec/tcpd fingerd -s
#ftp stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd ftpd -l
#login stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd rlogind
#nntp stream tcp nowait usenet /usr/libexec/tcpd nntpd
#ntalk dgram udp wait root /usr/libexec/tcpd ntalkd
#shell stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd rshd
#telnet stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd telnetd
#uucpd stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd uucpd
#comsat dgram udp wait root /usr/libexec/tcpd comsat
#tftp dgram udp wait nobody /usr/libexec/tcpd tftpd /private/tftpboot
#bootp dgram udp wait root /usr/libexec/tcpd bootpd
##pop3 stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd /usr/local/libexec/popper
##imap4 stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/tcpd /usr/local/libexec/imapd

[saint.duo]

I have not installed tcpwrappers. my inetd.conf file looked very similar to yours. The two or three options that I had on (ftp, for example) were not set to tcpd, EXCEPT for bootpd.

All this machine has installed on it are:
MacOS X Server 10.0
MacOS X Server 10.1 upgrade
MacOS X Server 10.1.3 update
QuickDNS Pro

That's all. Nothing else. I DID have to install the 10.1.3 update twice for the system to realize that it had been done. (once through software update, second time by downloading it and installing manually. Only after the second time did the "about this mac" show 10.1.3.) Really strange. I think it was related to my DHCP problem.