Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a set of rules used by communications devices such as a computer, router or network adapter to allow the device to request and obtain an IP address from a server which has a list of addresses available for assignment.
DHCP is a protocol used by networked computers (clients) to obtain IP addresses and other parameters such as the default gateway, subnet mask, and IP addresses of DNS servers from a DHCP server. The DHCP server ensures that all IP addresses are unique, e.g., no IP address is assigned to a second client while the first client's assignment is valid (its lease has not expired). Thus IP address pool management is done by the server and not by a human network administrator.
DHCP emerged as a standard protocol in October 1993. DHCP is a successor to the older BOOTP protocol, whose leases were given for infinite time and did not support options. Due to the backward-compatibility of DHCP, very few networks continue to use pure BOOTP. As of 2006, RFC 2131 (dated March 1997) provides the latest DHCP definition. As of 2004, the latest non-standard of the protocol is RFC 3315 (dated July 2003), which describes DHCPv6 (DHCP in an IPv6 environment).
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automates the assignment of IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateway, and other IP parameters.[1] When a DHCP-configured machine boots up or regains connectivity after a network outage, its DHCP client sends a query requesting necessary information from a DHCP server. The DHCP server manages a pool of IP addresses and also has information about client configuration parameters such as the default gateway, the domain name, the DNS servers, other servers such as time servers, and so forth. The query is typically initiated immediately after booting up and must be completed before the client can initiate IP-based communication with other hosts. The DHCP server replies to the client with an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and other requested information such as DNS server, etc.
DHCP provides three modes for allocating IP addresses. The best-known mode is dynamic, in which the client is provided a "lease" on an IP address for a period of time. Depending on the stability of the network, this could range from hours (a wireless network at an airport) to months (for desktops in a wireline lab). At any time before the lease expires, the DHCP client can request renewal of the lease on the current IP address. A properly-functioning client will use the renewal mechanism to maintain the same IP address throughout its connection to a single network. Maintaining the same IP address is important to correct functioning of higher-layer protocols. However, if the lease actually expires, the client must initiate a new negotiation of an IP address from the server's pool of addresses. As part of the negotiation, it can request its expired IP address, but there is no guarantee that it will get it.
The two other modes for allocation of IP addresses are automatic (also known as DHCP Reservation), in which the address is permanently assigned to a client, and manual, in which the address is selected at the client (manually by the user or any other means) and the DHCP protocol messages are used to inform the server that the address has been allocated.
Configuring firewall rules to accommodate access from machines who receive their IP addresses via dynamic DHCP is problematic because the IP address can vary over time. If fine-grained control of access to an IP address is required, the automatic or manual mode should be used for allocating the address.
The negotiation for an address is initiated by a client broadcast. If the DHCP server is not on the local area network and the router is not specially configured, the DHCP server will not receive the broadcast message because routers do not forward broadcasts. However, most routers can be configured as relay agents to forward messages to the DHCP server and to return the server replies to the client. This mode of operation occurs in large organizations using a single DHCP server to supply client configuration to many different networks. Home users should never need this functionality.