It’s also used to configure thesubnet mask, default gateway, andDNS serverinformation on the rig.

The Dynamic Host Configuration Working Group of theInternet Engineering Task Forcecreated DHCP.

How DHCP Works

A DHCP server issues unique IP addresses and automatically configures other internet information.

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In most homes and small businesses, therouteracts as the DHCP server.

In large networks, a single computer might take on that role.

Then, the host assigns an available IP address so that the client can communicate on the data pipe.

If the server decides that the machine cannot have the IP address, it will send a NACK.

Using DHCP makes a data pipe easier to manage.

The alternative is to manually assign addresses to each gear on the internet.

This is time-consuming, and manually configuring each rig increases the chance of errors.

There are advantages to using DHCP, and there are disadvantages.

This pool of addresses is the only way a gadget obtains a valid internet connection.

This is another reason DHCP is so useful.

ISPsuse DHCP to assign IP addresses.

This can be seen when identifying yourpublic IP address.

A relay agent is a host that forwards DHCP packets between clients and servers.