dhcp: DHCP Server Not Issuing Leases

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

On macOS 11.6 Big Sur, I installed XCode, MacPorts and then BIND9 DNS. The DNS configuration appears to work well.

Today I installed the MacPorts DHCP server. It appeared to install properly. When I run sudo port installed, it lists dhcp @4.1-ESV-R15-P1_1 (active).

I have configured the named.conf and dhcpd.conf files according to guidelines and used an rndc-key file I generated and include as a file in each config.

I am unable to issue DHCP leases. I have check the dhcpd.leases file permissions and set the owner to the named:named user:group. Same for all the zone files in DNS.

I have tested with Wireshark. I see DHCP DISCOVER requests coming in from test clients. But nothing further.

The only syslog entry I see for DHCP is the following: Sep 25 18:41:11 MAC-DNS1 com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (org.macports.dhcpd): Service only ran for 0 seconds. Pushing respawn out by 10 seconds.

I hope to attach my named.conf and dhcpd.conf files for you to inspect.

Any ideas or suggestions? Do I have an error in the configuration?

Thank you - Frank

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

BIND9 Configuration File

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

DHCP Configuration File

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

I would like to report that I discovered a suggestion to run the DHCP executable directly from the command line, with options for the configuration file and leases file. When I did this, errors in my configuration file were identified with line numbers, and I was able to correct them.

I am still not having Dynamic DNS updating taking place. The JNL files have not been created. I am exploring the possibility of opening up the permissions on the /opt/local/var/named zone file directory with chmod 777 and removing the rndc-key option temporarily and changing it to any.

If other suggestions for resolving this are submitted, I will greatly appreciate it.

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

No luck getting BIND9 to create the jnl files. It does not give error messages in the named.log when restarting named with sudo rndc reload.

I retained the basic communication with rndc-key just to named.conf and removed the key rndc-key statements from the zones that need updating, replacing them with allow-update {any;};

No luck. No jnl files. When I sudo touch empty jnl files in the /opt/local/var/named directory and chown/chmod them to named/777, I do get an error message when I reload with sudo rndc reload:

zoneload: error: zone zmmapple.com/IN: journal open failed: no more zoneload: error: zone zmmapple.com/IN: not loaded due to errors

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

The BIND9 named.log showing rrset delete/add followed by failure to open journal file

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

Hi - I have added a screenshot of the named.log after adding empty journal files to the /opt/local/var/named zone files directory.

The log clearly shows that Dynamic DHCP updates are occurring and being relayed to the DNS server. After deleting and then adding RR records, there is a failure to open the journal file.

[Kyosho (Frank Fallon)]

OK - So Experts Exchange had a tip. They advised granting root:named instead of named:named permissions recursively to the /opt/local/var/named zone file directory, after deleting those empty jnl files that were not properly created.

This solution worked immediately.