Apparently I can’t get some Windows 98 computers (those customers!) to pick up DHCP from the SMs. I have no idea why this is, so I’m just asking around here to see if anyone else has seen this. Trying to lock down the MAC addresses in my DHCP server is tough when I can’t use NAT. 
Do you know for certain the Win98 PC isn’t getting a DHCP response from the SM, or is the symptom a lack of connectivity? Does the problem exist with all Win98 PCs, or just a small percentage? Are the PCs Win98 or Win98 Second Edition?
Has your solution been a static address on the Win98 PC, with the SM as the gateway, or to turn off the SM’s NAT and let your central DHCP server respond to the request? Keeping the SM involved at layer-3 – without being a DHCP server – is a nuisance, but might help illuminate the underlying problem.
Teknix wrote: Do you know for certain the Win98 PC isn't getting a DHCP response from the SM, or is the symptom a lack of connectivity? Does the problem exist with all Win98 PCs, or just a small percentage? Are the PCs Win98 or Win98 Second Edition?
Has your solution been a static address on the Win98 PC, with the SM as the gateway, or to turn off the SM's NAT and let your central DHCP server respond to the request? Keeping the SM involved at layer-3 – without being a DHCP server – is a nuisance, but might help illuminate the underlying problem.
Lots of questions. :)
The SM reports that there are DHCP packets being sent and received but they don't "take" on the W98 machine even when asked to /renew manually. So far it's two computers, one of which is W98 SE according to the customer.
Both work fine getting DHCP from our main DHCP server across the network, but not from the SM. I've only tried with the SM acting as both DHCP client and server to date.
The most likely explanation is there’s something different about the two SMs, rather than the connected PCs. You might try setting the SMs to factory defaults – if you can without losing remote connectivity – and re-enter the config changes. If you go onsite, see if another PC is able to obtain an address from the SM, or swap the SM out.