DHCP Server Creates Unnecessary Lease

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51

SYMPTOMS

When a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server makes an address offer to a client and the client chooses an address from a different DHCP server, the server that was not chosen keeps a DHCP lease for the offered address for 15 minutes.

CAUSE

When multiple DHCP servers put out address offers to a client, the server whose offer is not accepted goes through a cleanup procedure. This procedure should remove the address which was temporarily set aside from the previous offer. However, this is not the case. The cleanup procedure is not clearing the temporarily assigned lease out of the database.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, install the fix mentioned below.

The temporary lease will last for 15 minutes. If you have extra leases you can just let the lease expire. Some companies are very short on available leases and cannot afford this, so a correction to DHCP has been created.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. This problem was corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Windows NT Workstation or Server version 3.51. For information on obtaining this update, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K