Client classes in Address Manager (also known as classes in ISC DHCP and as user and vendor classes in Microsoft DHCP) allow you to restrict address allocation and assign options to clients that match specified criteria. DHCP client classes were referred to as DHCP match classes in previous versions of Address Manager.
For example, using a client class, you could assign a specific DHCP lease length to clients that match a MAC address pattern or clients that are configured to send a specific identifier. A DHCP client becomes a member of a class when it matches the specified criteria.
Address Manager provides seven match statement options:
- Hardware
- DHCP client identifier
- DHCP vendor identifier
- Agent circuit identifier
- Agent remote identifier
- Custom
Match statements define the parameters for the match. All match statement options,
except for Custom accept two variables:
- Match offset—refers to the point where the match should begin.
- Match length—refers to the number of characters to match.