EdgeMax Router slow to hand out DHCP address

When arriving home after working on another wireless network I noticed my laptop was quick to connect to wireless, but slow to get a proper IP address.  It was faster to issue an ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew command then wait for an IP address.


I discovered that the EdgeMax router dhcp service is, by default. not running in Authortative mode.  Since it wasn't, here is what was happening.

• Client connects and issues a DHCP request with a requested IP address (the last one I was using).
• EdgeMax running in non-authortative mode ignores the request because it had a requested address that didn't match the address scope the EdgeMax is configured for.
• Client requestes a number of times before it finally times out.
• After timeout client issues a generic address request without an address
• EdgeMax responds to request with an address
• Client uses the address and is operational.

I issued this command...

set service dhcp-server shared-network-name DHCP-POOL-NAME authoritative enable 

Switching the EdgeMax DHCP service to authortative mode the timeout went away.  Here's what happens, and there is no timeout or delay involved.

• Client connects and issues a DHCP request with a requested IP address (the last one I was using).
• EdgeMax running in authortative mode denies the request.
• Client issues a new request for an address from the server
• EdgeMax responds to request with an address
• Client uses the address and is operational.

Reference for Non-Authortative and Authortative differences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Host_Configuration_Protocol#DHCP_discovery