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DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) automatically provides devices with network configuration, commonly including an IP address. In IPv4, a DHCP server can allocate an address for a limited lease period and send other settings the device needs to communicate.
What does DHCP stand for, and what does it do?
DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It is a client-server protocol: a device acting as a client requests configuration, and a DHCP server supplies it. The IPv4 standard describes DHCP as a way to pass configuration information to hosts and to allocate network addresses, including addresses that can be reused after a lease ends. RFC 2131
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DHCP can provide more than an address. Additional settings are carried as DHCP options—tagged data items whose formats and definitions are specified in RFC 2132. Which options a device receives depends on the network’s configuration.
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A common new-address exchange uses four messages. It is a typical example, not a sequence every DHCP interaction must follow; renewing or confirming an existing address can take a different path.
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- DHCPDISCOVER: The client broadcasts to find DHCP servers.
- DHCPOFFER: A server offers an address and configuration.
- DHCPREQUEST: The client requests the offer it has selected.
- DHCPACK: The selected server confirms the allocation and sends the configuration parameters.
A DHCP server does not have to be on every client subnet. A network can use a relay agent to pass DHCP messages between clients and a server on another subnet; the administrator configures that relay arrangement.
What is a DHCP lease?
A lease is the period for which an address is allocated to a client. The client can request an extension as the lease progresses or release the address when it no longer needs it. The protocol permits finite and infinite leases, so there is no single duration that applies to every network. RFC 2131
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Is DHCP the same for IPv4 and IPv6?
No. DHCPv4 is specified in RFC 2131, while DHCPv6 has a separate specification, RFC 8415. The four-message exchange above describes a typical IPv4 allocation; it should not be treated as the DHCPv6 procedure.
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DHCP supplies host configuration, but it does not cover every network service. RFC 2131 says DHCP does not address registering newly configured clients with DNS and is not intended for configuring routers. Those tasks require other mechanisms.
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