[Dnsmasq-discuss] dhcp-name-match ?

Simon Kelley simon at thekelleys.org.uk
Thu Dec 5 23:56:31 GMT 2019


On 05/12/2019 22:48, Simon Kelley wrote:
> On 15/11/2019 03:53, James Feeney wrote:
>> Hey Simon
>>
>> On 11/8/19 4:36 PM, Simon Kelley wrote:
>>> If there's no name configured in the dnsmasq configuration, then the
>>> client-provided name will be matched. However if there is a name
>>> configured in the dnsmasq configuration, selected by MAC address or
>>> client-id, then that will be used in preference. To an extent, what the
>>> client chooses to use as its name is secondary: dnsmasq determines the
>>> client's name so that it can be inserted into the DNS. If the
>>> configuration specifies that name, then that's what dnsmasq puts in the
>>> DNS, and it's what dnsmasq uses with dhcp-name-match.
>>
>> Hmm - ok.  Still, it seems to me that that behavior is not an "intuitive" interpretation of the option "dhcp-name-match", such that that explanation should definitely be added to the dnsmasq man page, at "--dhcp-name-match=...".
>>
>> In particular, it should be made clear that the client-provided name will *not* be matched under some circumstances.  In other words, sometimes it will "work", and sometimes it will not, and the administrator should not expect consistency.
>>
>> It should also be made clear that the client's idea of its own host name has nothing to do with the host name that dnsmasq will use in its own DNS registry, and that this will be most noticeable when the client chooses to ignore the host name offered to the client by dnsmasq.
> 
> This behaviour (name configured in dnsmasq trumps name supplied by
> client) is of very long standing, and could not, in all conscience, be
> changed now it would break too many existing configurations.  It's
> pretty difficult to see how it would be confusing: you configure dnsmasq
> to give the host with MAC address <x> name <y> and it does it. It also
> returns that name on DHCP replies to the host, so it can use it too, if
> so configured.
> 
>>
>> To be clear, I disagree with your approach.  I would prefer that the "tagging" function simply be intuitively predictable and consistent, and *independent* of how dnsmasq determines the client's name and then inserts that name into the DNS registry.
> 
> I may have to eat my words here. Reading the existing man page shows
> that matching the client-supplied name  was probably the original
> intention, and the two examples of how it could be used are certainly
> useful, and require that the name matched is the one supplied by the client.
> 
> Quote: "Set the tag if the given name is supplied by a dhcp client.
> There may be a single trailing wildcard *, which has the usual meaning.
> Combined with dhcp-ignore or dhcp-ignore-names this gives the ability to
> ignore certain clients by name, or disallow certain hostnames from being
> claimed by a client."
> 
> Looks like I have to revise my fix......
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Simon.
>

Revised fix committed.


Simon.



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