Missing DHCP in Mac OS X network configuration
There have been some isolated situations when the default "Built-in Ethernet" configuration is missing the "Using BootP," "Using DHCP," and "Using DHCP with manual IP address." The proper settings are shown below.
The image below shows what occurs during those isolated circumstances when those configuration options are not available.
Notice that although we have chosen to setup the "Built-in Ethernet" configuration, we are not given the DHCP or BootP choices in the pull down menu. When this occurs, DHCP is not available to request temp addresses to access network services here at RIT.
This problem has been noted in Apple Knowledge Base article 25541. Apple states that this is a result of the background process "configd" not launching properly at startup and a restart should fix it. However, we have seen times when a restart does not actually resolve this issue.
In those cases, we have found a way to fix it by creating a duplicate configuration and deleting the original. In order to do this, enter "Network Settings" in the System Preferences application. Select "Network Port Confuration," in the "Show" pop-up menu.
For further details on network setup, see Set up Mac OS X for on-campus Ethernet and Set up Mac OS X for on-campus wireless.
