Do you know of any router that doesn't have the ability to act as a dhcp server?

jaffa

Member
Jan 26, 2005
170
0
0
A friend of mine recently told me that he has a colleague that has a router that can't give out ip-adresses to clients. The router is not defect (working as designed). It just is not supposed to act as a dhcp server.

I had never heard anything like that before so that's my I am asking.

Is he just a prankster or could he actually be telling the truth about this router?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
modern day routers? highly unlikely.

Older routers? Highly unlikely they could do DHCP.
 

kevnich2

Platinum Member
Apr 10, 2004
2,465
8
76
Spidey, correct me if I'm wrong but actual routers (not SOHO) don't do DHCP, they simply route packets between interfaces. SOHO routers do DHCP but I wouldn't call them TRUE routers.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
with the relase of 12.3 code for IOS ,around 2002 I think, you can run a DHCP server on them.

It's not typically done, but you can. For example, say a small office that doesn't have or need a server. Heck even switches have DHCP servers now.

I wouldn't call the SOHO stuff true routers either. But they do route and can support basic routing protocols - so they are indeed routers.

Modern routers can now do just about anything and everything. Wireless controllers, voice gateways, voicemail, storage gateways, etc. The features go on and on. But your right - in the core all they do is route as you don't put any features or services on those. Just let them route and route only.
 

Tsaico

Platinum Member
Oct 21, 2000
2,669
0
0
It is possible, just last year we were on an old T1 router with dual CSU/DSU units and all it did was route "x" traffic to where we wanted, We needed a seperate firewall/proxy that would handle NAT and the actual protection of servers and services.