DHCP overview
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is based on the Bootstrap Protocol
(BOOTP) and provides several configuration parameters stored in DHCP server databases
to DHCP clients upon request.
DHCP enables the automatic configuration of client systems. DHCP removes the need to configure devices individually. Clients can set network properties by connecting to the DHCP server instead. This protocol consists of two components; a protocol to deliver host-specific configuration parameters from a DHCP server to a host, and a mechanism to allocate leased or permanent IP addresses to hosts. DHCP is built on a client-server model, where designated DHCP server hosts allocate network addresses and deliver configuration parameters to dynamically configured hosts.