Know the understanding of DHCP and functions and how DHCP works

Understanding DHCP

Do you know what DHCP is? Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or often abbreviated DHCP is a client-server protocol used to provide IP addresses to client computers/network devices automatically.

The reason why many are implementing DHCP is its ease in granting IP address to the client computer/network device (even in many numbers) automatically. So we do not need to manually assign IP addresses to each computer one by one.

The DHCP server not only gives the IP address only, but also provides netmask, host name, domain name, DNS, and its Gatewand address as well. In addition, the DHCP server can also provide other parameters such as time server and so on.

This way, a server admin does not need to bother to give an IP address to every client computer who wants to connect to the network. If dozens of client computers may not be a problem, then what about thousands of client computers?



Difference between DHCP client and DHCP server

In the DHCP service, there are two terms that you need to know namely the DHCP client and the DHCP server. What's the difference between the two?

The computer in charge of providing an IP address automatically to the client computer is called a DHCP server. While the computer requesting IP address is called a DHCP client.

How DHCP Works
When the user turns on his computer and connects it to the server using the DHCP service, the computer automatically requests the IP address to the server. Then the server responds to that computer request and gives it an IP address.

For more clarity on how DHCP works, you can listen to the processes that occur in the DHCP service as follows:

1. IP Least Request
   Client computer asks IP address to server
2. IP Least Offer
   A DHCP server that has a list of IP addresses provides an offer to client computers
3. IP Lease Selection
   The client computer selects/selects the offer that was first provided by DHCP, then broadcast by sending a message that the client's computer agrees to the offer
4. IP Lease Acknowledge
   At this stage the DHCP server receives the message and starts sending a package acknowledge (DHCPACK) to the client.
5. The package contains how long a client computer can use the IP address (which is given the DHCP server) along with other configurations. And the client computer can connect to the network.

So a slight conclusion of my writing about the understanding of DHCP is, DHCP is a client-server protocol used to provide IP addresses to clients automatically. There are four processes that occur in the way the DHCP server works, namely IP Least Request, IP Least Offer, IP Lease Selection, and IP Lease Acknowledge.