How to configure IP remotely using only Data Link Layer?

Question

linux

On a Debian machine. There can be several such machines on a subnet, they differ only by MAC. The network interface may not be configured or configured incorrectly.
We need a way (preferably from under Windows) to do the following:
1) "scan" the subnet and determine which poppies correspond to these machines.
2) on the selected machine with the specified MAC, set the IP, subnet and gateway (DHCP is not good: the engineer must come once with a laptop, set up all the machines and leave. After that, the machines will work autonomously, even after a reboot).
Those. in fact, you need the ability to remotely configure the interface using only the Data Link Layer.
It is quite possible (you can’t even do without it) that some service listening to the network is constantly running on the machines.

(question from user gadub who lacks karma)

Answer 1

If the address is not configured on the network interface, but the interface itself is enabled, then the addresses will be from the APIPA range, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APIPA#IPv4
Accordingly, you only need to scan 255 hosts from 254 networks, a total of 64770.
The easiest scanning option for win * - SoftPerfect Network Scanner www.softperfect.com/products/networkscanner/

Answer 2

Use DHCP on a laptop for the initial distribution of addresses and a simple script that will write the issued addresses statically. If you have ssh with key authorization on all these machines and the necessary key is registered, the script can be run from a laptop and it will do everything itself, and in the worst case, you will have to log in to each machine with its password.

Answer 3

1) To scan the network safely - turn off arp on the network interface. In this case, knowing the poppy, you will be able to register it in the arp table and work only with it.
2) Try to send a broadcast and listen to the responses (tcpdump / wireshark)
3) If the network interface is not configured at all (that is, ifconfig eth0 0.0. all management software wants ip. With an address.
4) How to do it from under Windows - frankly I don’t know. Especially the part related to turning off ARP. Linux is better.

Answer 4

And by the way, DHCP under win* can also be run by a third-party one, i.e. we launch a batch file (the same “big button for an engineer”) DHCP server, then scan the network in a predetermined range. Voila.