Reserve an address for a device

Before you start

• You need the admin role and a running scope managed by the dashboard.
• You need the device's MAC address and an available address inside the subnet.

Use a reservation for a printer, server or other device that needs a stable address. The reserved address can be outside the dynamic pool, but it must be inside the subnet.

1. Add the reservation

1. Open DNS > DHCP.
2. Open the running scope.
3. Find Reservations.
4. Click Add reservation.
5. Enter the device's MAC address.
6. Enter the Reserved address.
7. Enter a Hostname, such as printer, if you want a local name.
8. Click Save reservation.

Figure 1. Match the reservation to the device's actual MAC address.

A device with a private or randomized MAC can appear as a different client. Use the stable MAC for this network. An address that another client still leases cannot become this device's reservation.

2. Renew and verify

1. Renew the device's lease or reconnect it to the network.
2. Find it in Leases.
3. Confirm that its address matches Reserved address.
4. Query printer.lan.home.arpa if lease DNS registration is on.

A reservation on a running API-managed scope applies immediately. The client receives it when it next acquires or renews a lease. On SQLite, add reservations under Setup for next restart if the scope is not running. On Kubernetes, scope changes apply live. Edit a managed scope at its configuration source.

Check the result

The client has the reserved address. Its local name resolves while its lease is active and DNS registration is on. A reservation alone does not create a record for an offline device. For a permanent record, create a local DNS name.