DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol for local area networks that operates using UDP and has two main purposes:

• To automatically assign IP addresses to users from internal networks or internet service providers
• To provide internal network administrators with a means to centrally manage all computers

DHCP uses a single or a group of DHCP servers to manage the allocation of network parameters, providing fault tolerance. Even in a network with only a few machines, DHCP is useful because a machine can be added to the local network with minimal impact.

Even for servers that rarely change addresses, DHCP is still recommended for configuring their addresses. If a server needs to be reassigned an address (RFC2071), the changes can be made with minimal adjustments. DHCP should not be used for certain devices, such as routers and firewalls. It is also useful to place a TFTP or SSH server on the same machine running DHCP for centralized management.

DHCP can also be used to directly allocate addresses to servers and desktop computers, and through a PPP proxy, it can also allocate addresses to dial-up and broadband hosts, as well as residential NAT gateways and routers. DHCP is generally not suitable for use on edge routers and DNS servers.

DHCP became a standard protocol in October 1993, its predecessor being the BOOTP protocol. Current DHCP definitions can be found in RFC 2131, while the proposed standard based on IPv6 (DHCPv6) can be found in RFC 3315.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a protocol that allows network administrators to centrally manage and automatically allocate IP network addresses. In an IP network, each device connected to the Internet needs to be assigned a unique IP address. DHCP allows network administrators to monitor and allocate IP addresses from a central point. When a computer moves to another location on the network, it automatically receives a new IP address.

DHCP uses the concept of leases, or the validity period of a computer's IP address. The lease time is variable, mainly depending on how long a user needs to connect to the Internet from a certain location, which is practical for environments like education and others where users frequently change. Through shorter lease times, DHCP can dynamically reconfigure the network in environments where there are more computers than available IP addresses. DHCP supports allocating static addresses for computers that need permanent IP addresses, such as web servers.

DHCP is similar to another network IP management protocol, BOOTP. Both configuration management protocols are widely used, with DHCP being more advanced. Certain operating systems, such as Windows NT/2000, come with DHCP servers. The DHCP or BOOTP client is a program installed on a computer that allows it to be configured.

• The content of this article is sourced from Wikipedia