“Unfortunately, setting up DHCP isn’t as simple as setting
up a static connection. The primary difference rests in the method
by which the client must send the requisite hostname to the DHCP
server. You can use the cable modem services; set up the
Ethernet device with netcg, and run the dhcpcd client by sending
the hostname with the -I flag in the following command (as
root):
/sbin/dhcpcd -I hostname
This command will send the default client hostname that’s set up
with the Ethernet device.”
“Unfortunately, you’ll have to deal with many problems when you
use DHCP. Some cable modem services are picky about how (and to
which OSs) they give out Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Also,
some of the recent major releases (primarily Red Hat 6.1) don’t
have a functioning DHCP out of the box. There are upgrades and even
better clients you can use, specifically the DHCP-client package,
which is a very nice, simple interface. You can download the
DHCP-client and use it as a structured and reliable client tool for
DHCP. During the setup of DHCP-client, it reads a configuration
file (/etc/dhclient.conf) that is rather complicated at first
glance.”
“The problem lies in the fact that due to the different ways in
which services distribute IP addresses, it’s difficult to outline a
plan of attack. Often, it’s best to shy away from running DHCP with
Linux. But, with the growing popularity of cable modems, I’m sure
that future releases of various Linux distributions will focus on
getting DHCP to work more effectively out of the box.”