Converting to a New DHCP Data Store

Solaris DHCP provides a utility to convert the DHCP configuration data from one data store to another data store. Several reasons might exist for converting to a new data store. For example, you might have more DHCP clients, requiring higher performance or higher capacity from the DHCP service. You also might want to share the DHCP server duties among multiple servers. See Choosing the DHCP Data Store for a comparison of the relative benefits and drawbacks of each type of data store.

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Note - If you upgraded from a Solaris release that is older than the Solaris 8 7/01 release, you should read this note.

When you run any Solaris DHCP tool after Solaris installation, you are prompted to convert to the new data store. The conversion is required because the format of the data stored in both files and NIS+ changed in the Solaris 8 7/01 release. If you do not convert to the new data store, the DHCP server continues to read the old data tables. However, the server can only extend leases for existing clients. You cannot register new DHCP clients or use DHCP management tools with the old data tables.

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The conversion utility is also useful for sites that are converting from a Sun provided data store to a third-party data store. The conversion utility looks up entries in the existing data store and adds new entries that contain the same data to the new data store. Data store access is implemented in separate modules for each data store. This modular approach enables the conversion utility to convert DHCP data from any data store format to any other data store format. Each data store must have a module that the DHCP service can use.

The data store conversion can be accomplished with DHCP Manager through the Data Store Conversion wizard, or with the dhcpconfig -C command.

The initial dialog box of the Data Store Conversion wizard is shown in the following figure.

Figure 15-19 Data Store Conversion Wizard Dialog Box in DHCP Manager

Before the conversion begins, you must specify whether to save the old data store's tables (dhcptab and network tables). The conversion utility then stops the DHCP server, converts the data store, and restarts the server when the conversion has completed successfully. If you did not specify to save the old tables, the utility deletes the tables after determining the conversion is successful. The process of converting can be time-consuming. The conversion runs in the background with a meter to inform you of its progress.

How to Convert the DHCP Data Store (DHCP Manager)

1. In DHCP Manager, choose Convert Data Store from the Service menu.

   See How to Start and Stop DHCP Manager for information about DHCP Manager.

   The Data Store Conversion wizard opens.

2. Answer the wizard's prompts.

   If you have trouble providing the requested information, click Help to view detailed information about each dialog box.

3. Review your selections, and then click Finish to convert the data store.

   The DHCP server restarts when the conversion is complete. The server immediately uses the new data store.

How to Convert the DHCP Data Store (dhcpconfig -C)

1. Become superuser or assume a role or user name that is assigned to the DHCP Management profile.

   For more information about the DHCP Management profile, see Setting Up User Access to DHCP Commands.

   Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

2. Convert the data store by typing a command of the following format:

   # /usr/sbin/dhcpconfig -C -r resource -p path

   resource

   is the new data store type, such as SUNWbinfiles

   path

   is the path to the data, such as /var/dhcp

   Note that if you want to keep the original data in the old data store after the conversion, specify the -k option. For example, to convert your data store to SUNWbinfiles and save the old data store, you would type:

   # /usr/sbin/dhcpconfig -C -r SUNWbinfiles -p /var/dhcp -k

   See the dhcpconfig(1M) man page for more information about the dhcpconfig utility.