8.5 The Basics of DHCP

DHCP is another important technology that has grown largely from the need to conserve scarce IP addresses on networks connected to the Internet. This article is based upon an Accelerated Technology white paper written by Steven Lewis. (CW)

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides a means for automating the configuration of Internet hosts. DHCP can be used to automatically assign IP addresses, to deliver TCP/IP stack configuration parameters such as the subnet mask and default router, and to provide other configuration information such as the IP address of a print, time, or news server.

DHCP is built on the client-server model. Upon receiving a request from a DHCP client, a DHCP server is responsible for the allocation of an IP address and other configuration parameters the client may require. The server allocates the IP address from a pool of addresses that it is responsible for managing. The client is responsible for requesting each of the parameters that are required for proper operation on each connected network.

The primary goal of DHCP is to reduce the administrative costs of managing a network. By utilizing DHCP, the administrative costs can be limited to the configuration of the DHCP server. The DHCP server will need to be manually configured with one or more pools of IP addresses that can be used to satisfy requests. The DHCP server will also need to be manually configured with the other parameters that network hosts will require. However, there is...