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Talos Linux runs by default a DHCP client on all physical network interfaces to obtain IP addresses and other network settings automatically. Once any explicit link configuration is applied, the default DHCP behavior is disabled, and DHCP must be explicitly enabled on the desired link(s). DHCP allows to configure addresses, routes, DNS, and NTP settings dynamically from a DHCP server. DHCP client can be enabled on physical and logical links (bridges, bonds, VLANs). There are two DHCP versions supported in Talos Linux: DHCPv4 and DHCPv6.

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DHCPv4 Configuration

To enable DHCPv4 on a physical link, create a DHCPv4Config configuration document with the name of the link: 
apiVersion: v1alpha1
kind: DHCPv4Config
name: enp0s3
Additional settings can be configured:
  • ignoreHostname: true: ignore the hostname provided by the DHCP server.
  • routeMetric: 512: set the metric for routes provided by DHCP.
  • clientIdentifier: configures the DHCP client identifier, which can have one of the following values:
    • mac: use the MAC address as the client identifier (default).
    • duid: use a DUID (DHCP Unique Identifier) as the client identifier, requires duidRaw field to be set.
    • off: disable the client identifier.

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DHCPv6 Configuration

To enable DHCPv6 on a physical link, create a DHCPv6Config configuration document with the name of the link: 
apiVersion: v1alpha1
kind: DHCPv6Config
name: enp0s3
Additional settings are identical to DHCPv4.

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Observing Status

Use talosctl to get the list of all configured operators (which includes DHCP clients): 
$ talosctl get operatorspecs
NODE         NAMESPACE   TYPE           ID             VERSION
172.20.0.2   network     OperatorSpec   dhcp4/enp0s2   1
To see operator configuration broken down by configuration source, add --namespace=network-config flag: 
$ talosctl get operatorspecs --namespace=network-config
NODE         NAMESPACE        TYPE           ID                           VERSION
172.20.0.2   network-config   OperatorSpec   configuration/dhcp4/enp0s2   1