Peg DHCP
Encyclopedia
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
es in a context where regular DHCP wouldn't work. The "server" hands out wooden clothes-pegs
Clothes-pin
A clothespin is a fastener used to hang up clothes for drying, usually on a clothes line. Clothespins often come in many different designs.-Design:...
numbered with the IPs to allocate and an additional leaflet with network information. The "client", typically the user, then configures his device accordingly.
Even though this RFC
Request for Comments
In computer network engineering, a Request for Comments is a memorandum published by the Internet Engineering Task Force describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems.Through the Internet Society, engineers and...
, "Management of IP numbers by peg-dhcp" was published on the first of April 1998, it describes, unlike most other April Fools' Day RFC
April Fools' Day RFC
Almost every April Fools' Day since 1989, the Internet Engineering Task Force has published one or more humorous RFC documents, following in the path blazed by the June 1973 RFC 527 entitled ARPAWOCKY, which parodied Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem Jabberwocky...
s, a regularly used protocol with a serious purpose. During the preparation of Hacking in Progress 1997, the organizers were looking for a robust way to assign IP addresses to the participants. The obvious first choice, DHCP, almost completely defenseless against rogue servers, was not retained considering the traditionally creative use of the network.
Instead, for every IP to allocate, the variable (host) part is written on a wooden peg with waterproof marker. The user would then attach it to the cable connecting that device to the network. The peg is accompanied by a leaflet with further information such as the static (net) part of the IP address, the netmask, the default gateway
Default gateway
In computer networking, a gateway is a node on a TCP/IP network that serves as an access point to another network. A default gateway is the node on the computer network that the network software uses when an IP address does not match any other routes in the routing table.In home computing...
, DNS
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
-servers, and often also their MAC address
MAC address
A Media Access Control address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used for numerous network technologies and most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet...
es to prevent ARP spoofing
ARP spoofing
ARP spoofing, also known as ARP cache poisoning or ARP poison routing , is a technique used to attack a local-area network . ARP spoofing may allow an attacker to intercept data frames on a LAN, modify the traffic, or stop the traffic altogether...
. Different subnets, such as LAN
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
and WLAN
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
are distinguished by different colors used to write on the pegs.
Peg DHCP was successfully used on Hacking in Progress '97 and the following events in Holland, including the 2009 event Hacking at Random
Hacking at Random
Hacking at Random was an outdoor hacker conference that took place in The Netherlands from August 13 to August 16, 2009.It was situated on a large camp-site near the small town Vierhouten in The Netherlands called the Paasheuvel...
. The German Chaos Computer Club
Chaos Computer Club
The Chaos Computer Club is an organization of hackers. The CCC is based in Germany and other German-speaking countries.The CCC describes itself as "a galactic community of life forms, independent of age, sex, race or societal orientation, which strives across borders for freedom of...
used it during its Chaos Communication Camp
Chaos Communication Camp
The Chaos Communication Camp is an international meeting of hackers that takes place every four years, organized by the Chaos Computer Club ....
s and is still using it in some editions of the Chaos Communication Congress
Chaos Communication Congress
The Chaos Communication Congress is an annual meeting of the international hacker scene, organized by the Chaos Computer Club. The congress features a variety of lectures and workshops on technical and political issues....
.
At Hacking at Random
Hacking at Random
Hacking at Random was an outdoor hacker conference that took place in The Netherlands from August 13 to August 16, 2009.It was situated on a large camp-site near the small town Vierhouten in The Netherlands called the Paasheuvel...
, the pegs were distributed according to the network map of the event terrain. Every field had a distinct subnet and per subnet, there was a division between regular IP address distribution via DHCP and the (fixed) IP addresses, distributed via Peg DHCP. To obtain an IP address via Peg DHCP, one had to note the subnet number on their field's Datenklo (dedicated rain-proof box for networking equipment, usually an empty, portable toilet). With this subnet number, the correct, routable, IP address could be handed out.