What is DHCP?
A. DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and is used to automatically configure a host during boot up on a TCP/IP network and also to change settings while the host is attached. This means that you can store all the available IP addresses in a central database along with information such as the subnet mask, gateways, DNS servers etc. The basics behind DHCP is the clients are configured to use DHCP instead of being given a static IP address. When the client boots up it sends out a BOOTP request for an IP address. A DHCP server then offers an IP address that has not been assigned from its database, which is then leased to the client for a pre-defined time period.
Short for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, DHCP is a protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. In some systems, the device’s IP address can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses. Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the software keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring an administrator to manage the task. This means that a new computer can be added to a network without having to manually assign it a unique IP address. Many Internet Service Providers use dynamic IP addressing for dial-up users.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows someone’s computer to ask the network for an Internet Protocol (IP) Address. The computer then makes use of the IP Address in order to browse the Internet or check a person’s e-mail. The purpose of using DHCP is to avoid having to manually assign a specific IP address to every user’s computer. In this situation, for example, if one person uses a computer with a specific IP address and another person tries to use another computer that has the same IP address, the second person will be unable to do anything until the first user has turned his computer off. Using DHCP eliminates these problems.
DHCP stands for “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol”. • What is DHCP’s purpose? DHCP’s purpose is to enable individual computers on an IP network to extract their configurations from a server (the ‘DHCP server’) or servers, in particular, servers that have no exact information about the individual computers until they request the information. The overall purpose of this is to reduce the work necessary to administer a large IP network. The most significant piece of information distributed in this manner is the IP address. • Can DHCP work with Appletalk or IPX? No, it is too tied to IP. Furthermore, they don’t need it since they have always had automated mechanisms for assigning their own network addresses. • Who Created It? How Was It Created? DHCP was created by the Dynamic Host Configuration Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF; a volunteer organization which defines protocols for use on the Internet). As such, it’s definition is recorded in an Internet RFC and
