DHID(8)

📦 version 5.5, in debian bookworm, ubuntu jammy

💖 DHID(8) 💖

the dynamic host info system client, but make it a whole vibe — this is the manual page for dhid from the System Manager's Manual. bestie, we're getting your dynamic IP sorted. periodt.

✨ NAME ✨

dhid — the Dynamic Host Information System client. yes that's the whole name. iconic.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

dhid [-h] [-p port] [-P pidfile] [-f conffile]

that's it. that's the whole run command. look at her go 🦋

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

okay so dhid is the DHIS client daemon. the whole deal is: you set yourself up with a DHIS provider, and then every machine can run a dhid daemon — in the background, like a little gremlin doing chores — so it can update its dynamic IP address on the server. lowkey genius.

/etc/dhid.conf should be configured according to the provider's assigned parameters. no cap, your provider tells you the numbers, you put the numbers there. 🎀

once she's running, dhid sends echo request packets to the server and waits for a reply like 👀. once the reply lands, dhid tries to authenticate at the server, either in secure or insecure mode. and from then on — providing the authentication was successful, which, fingers crossed 🤞 — the client just waits and replies to queries that originate at the server.

here's the important bit, bestie: if the server doesn't receive acknowledgments of these packets, the host gets marked offline. likewise, if the client doesn't receive queries for a period of time, the offline stage is restored. it's giving mutual ghosting, but for networking. 💀

so therefore, the only thing a DHIS host actually needs is to run the dhid client. the server is able to figure out when the host is online, and the server tables get updated automatically. self-care via daemon. slay. ✨

👑 OPTIONS 👑

  • -h — show usage information. the classic "wait what were the flags again" button 🙈
  • -p port — specify the port to listen on. if you don't specify one, the default is port 58800. yes, 58800. write it down. 📝
  • -P pidfile — use an alternative PID file instead of /var/run/dhisd.pid. note the d in there, bestie, that's not a typo, that's just how it is 🫶
  • -l conffile — use an alternative configuration file instead of /etc/dhid.conf. the ✨spicy✨ config option.
not me noticing the SYNOPSIS says -f conffile and the OPTIONS list says -l conffile 😭 both are in the original page, both are staying here, i don't make the rules, i just report them. iykyk.

🍓 FILES 🍓

  • /etc/dhid.conf — DHIS client configuration. the main character file. your whole setup lives here 💖

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

dhid has been written by Joao Cabral</> <jcnc@dhis.org>. legend behaviour. 👑

this manual page was written by Guus Sliepen</> <guus@debian.org> for the Debian GNU/Linux system. giving credit where credit is due, as one does. 🎀

💫 and that's the page!! from the Debian GNU/Linux crew, dated 2002-06-22, filed under DHID(8). go forth and update those dynamic IPs, bestie. you got this. 💜
📦 where this page comes from