selfDHCP

SelfDHCP is a network autoconfigure software that is designed to quickly determine the main network configuration parameters by listening to the traffic and using appropriate heuristics. It can be run as a daemon or as an application, making it a versatile tool for configuring hosts on networks. The idea for SelfDHCP was born out of the common need to configure a host in a transparent way without using DHCP servers that may not always be present or may not be desirable.

Unlike other existing tools, SelfDHCP doesn't require any external resources and can work as a stand-alone tool. There are two main ways in which SelfDHCP works. The first is by recognizing a known network using profiles so that it can quickly configure a host on a small network without the need to set up a DHCP server. The second is by analyzing the network traffic and trying to guess the main configuration parameters of an unknown network using heuristic methods.

SelfDHCP has been designed with maximum discretion and stealthness in mind. The software operates mostly in passive mode, and even when traffic is generated, its stealthness is maintained by spoofing an existing address. While SelfDHCP has some limitations, such as only working on non-switched LANs with Ethernet/IPv4 protocols, the active mode, combined with profiles, gives it the ability to work even on switched LANs if some information about the network is known a priori.

The software only works on GNU/Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It has been tested on GNU/Linux and Solaris, both on x86 and SPARC architectures, and will soon be tested on Cygwin and PPC and Alpha archs. SelfDHCP has now passed from its alpha very first release to a more mature beta. Most of the features advertised should work correctly, but the path towards a stable release is still long. The latest release, which includes rewritten compilation scripts, is available for beta testers to give feedback and help refine the software.