Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a client-server networking protocol and uses the same two IANA assigned ports for BOOTP: 67/udp for the server side, and 68/udp for the client side. A DHCP server provides configuration parameters specific to the DHCP client host requesting, generally, information required by the client host to participate on an IP network. DHCP also provides a mechanism for allocation of IP addresses to client hosts. DHCP server is a useful tool that automates the assignment of IP addresses to hundreds of workstations in your network. The server maintains a pool of IP addresses that you use to create scopes. A DHCP scope is a collection of IP addresses and TCP/IP configuration parameters that are available for DHCP clients to lease. The server automatically allocates these IP addresses and related TCP/IP configuration settings to DHCP-enabled clients in the network. The DHCP service leases the IP addresses to clients for a period that you specify when you create a scope. A lease becomes inactive when it expires. Through the DHCP server, you can reserve specific IP addresses permanently for hardware devices that must have a static IP address (e.g., a DNS server). An advantage of using DHCP is that the service assigns addresses dynamically. The service returns addresses that are no longer in use to the IP address pool so that the server can reallocate them to other machines in the network. If not for this service, you would have to manually configure IP for new computers, keep track of IP addresses so that you could reassign addresses that clients aren't using, and reconfigure computers that you move from one subnet to another |
