#607276 new subnet mask is ignored

Package:
isc-dhcp-client
Source:
isc-dhcp
Description:
DHCP client for automatically obtaining an IP address
Submitter:
Harald Dunkel
Date:
2026-08-05 17:33:42 UTC
Severity:
normal
#607276#5
Date:
2010-12-16 15:16:03 UTC
From:
To:
If the server propagates a new subnet mask using

	option subnet-mask 255.255.252.0

then it is ignored by the client.


Regards

Harri

#607276#10
Date:
2010-12-17 07:32:57 UTC
From:
To:

#607276#15
Date:
2014-03-13 15:03:05 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

I've run into the same problem after reconfiguring an existing dhcpd
into our networks. If the IP address of the host doesn't change, the
interface isn't reconfigured.

The offending line in /sbin/dhclient-script seems to be (starting from
line 210):

        if [ -n "$old_ip_address" ] &&
           [ "$old_ip_address" != "$new_ip_address" ]; then
            # leased IP has changed => flush it
            ip -4 addr flush dev ${interface} label ${interface}
        fi

        if [ -z "$old_ip_address" ] ||
           [ "$old_ip_address" != "$new_ip_address" ] ||
           [ "$reason" = "BOUND" ] || [ "$reason" = "REBOOT" ]; then
            # new IP has been leased or leased IP changed => set it
            ip -4 addr add
${new_ip_address}${new_subnet_mask:+/$new_subnet_mask} \
                ${new_broadcast_address:+broadcast $new_broadcast_address} \
                dev ${interface} label ${interface}

It already uses $new_subnet_mask but it doesn't check in the if clause
if it have been changed from the current one.

IMHO the if clause should check not only for the subnet mask change
but any variable used inside that big if block such as:
- ip_address (currently checked)
- subnet_mask
- broadcast_address
- interface_mtu

On experimental, the RFC3442 gets incorporated into dhclient-script
instead of being defined under the hooks directory, which makes also
one more variable to check if it have been changed :
- rfc3442_classless_static_routers

Thus if your dhcpd sends a different value for the variables mentioned
above without changing the assigned IP address or during a initial
assignment, it will get ignored.

Many thanks

#607276#22
Date:
2026-08-05 17:31:09 UTC
From:
To:
Dear submitter,

as the package isc-dhcp has just been removed from the Debian archive
unstable we hereby close the associated bug reports.  We are sorry
that we couldn't deal with your issue properly.

For details on the removal, please see https://bugs.debian.org/1143544

The version of this package that was in Debian prior to this removal
can still be found using https://snapshot.debian.org/.

Please note that the changes have been done on the master archive and
will not propagate to any mirrors until the next dinstall run at the
earliest.

This message was generated automatically; if you believe that there is
a problem with it please contact the archive administrators by mailing
ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org.

Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Thorsten Alteholz (the ftpmaster behind the curtain)