PRB: RAS Reserves DHCP Addresses for Dial-Out Only Clients

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This article was previously published under Q166149

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SYMPTOMS

Microsoft Windows NT systems send out requests to DHCP to reserve addresses for RAS, but the systems that are sending the requests are setup for Dial-out only.

In some cases, this is noticed by DHCP servers running out of leases completely. To prevent the unattended setup computers from experiencing the problem of grabbing DHCP addresses, add the following to your unattended setup file:

[RemoteAccess]
PortSections=RASDialOut
DialoutProtocols=ALL
;  Prevent the server componant from requesting an IP address.
UseDHCP=No
StaticAddressBegin=1.1.1.1
StaticAddressEnd=1.1.1.1
ClientCanRequestIPAddress=No

Currently, the only solution for computers already affected by this problem is to manually run through the configuration options for Remote Access via Control Panel and enable the system to update.

NOTE: The Dial-out options should be configured as expected based on the unattended answer file, so there is no need to change any of the parameters.

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CAUSE

Windows NT unattended setup provides the ability to install and configure Remote Access for Dial-in, Dial-out, or Dial in and out.

If the unattend answer file is configured to install Remote Access as a Dial-out client only, server components and registry values are installed that should not be.

Properties of the Remote Access Service are checked in the Control Panel Network Services tab. All options are displayed as configured correctly for Dial-out Only. Upon exiting the configuration menu for Remote Access, the system can reset the bindings and update the registry. Once the updates are complete, a prompt is displayed, asking that the system be restarted. After the restart, everything is installed correctly and the server side of Remote Access has been removed.

NOTE: The affected computers cannot act as RAS servers. They can only grab DHCP addresses.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT Server and Workstation version 4.0.

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MORE INFORMATION

The following is an example of the Modem and Network sections of an Unattend.txt file that installs the extra components of RAS as described in the Cause section:

   [Modem]
   InstallModem = ModemParameters

   [ModemParameters]
   COM2 = "Hayes V-Series Ultra Smartmodem 9600"

   [Network]
   DetectAdapters = ""
   InstallProtocols = ProtocolsSection
   InstallServices = ServicesSection
   JoinDomain = BOBSDOMAIN
   CreateComputerAccount = ADMINISTRATOR

   [ProtocolsSection]
   NBF = NBFParamSection
   NWLNKIPX = NWLNKIPXParamSection
   TC = TCParamSection

   [NBFParamSection]

   [NWLNKIPXParamSection]

   [TCParamSection]
   DHCP = yes

   [ServicesSection]
   RAS = RASParamSection

   [RASParamSection]
   PortSections = PortSection1
   DialoutProtocols = ALL

   [PortSection1]
   PortName = COM2
   DeviceType = Modem
   PortUsage = DialOut

For the latest information on Windows NT deployment, download the Windows NT 4.0 Deployment Guide from the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/ (http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/)

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

155197 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/155197/EN-US/ ) Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File

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