DHCP is relatively simple and widely supported.  So when a client
device can't get an address via DHCP (or gets an unusable address),
there are only a few possibilities worth considering:

1.  DHCP server failure -- pretty rare; ruled out if other clients work
fine.

2.  No network connectivity between client and server -- fairly rare; in
general, if any client works, it's not a server or infrastructure issue,
it's something specific to the failing client.

  Client can't send DHCP request -- sometimes the circuitry to send out
LAN signals dies.  I've seen this more often with wireless than wired
adapters -- the voltage/power needed to send a wireless signal are much
greater than for a wired signal, and can "burn out" marginal chip traces
etc.

  Client can't see DHCP answer -- see above, much rarer.

  I have also seen a couple of on-board Ethernet NICs die.  Add-on NICs
in PCI or USB format are easy to find and inexpensive, depending on what
kind of add-on the client device will accomodate.

David Gillett, CCNP



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