How does the DHCP server handle IP information?

As we all know, DHCP server is a powerful function for IP management. Each computer in the network must have a unique IP address. You can manually set the Host IP address, which is also called a static IP address. To ensure the normal operation of the entire network, you must set the IP address correctly. Therefore, you must consult the network administrator. In addition, the network mask, default gateway, and DNS server must be correctly set to ensure the normal use of the network. These parameters also need to be consulted with the network administrator.

If there are a large number of users on the network, the user consultation will impose a great burden on the network administrator. More importantly, if the network administrator changes the network configuration and some of the above parameters change, the workload of notifying users to modify them one by one will also be very large. In addition, the IP address on the Internet is very tight. If a public IP address is assigned to the user, this address will be wasted if the user does not access the Internet. To solve this problem, Dynamic Address Allocation occurs.

Dynamic Address Allocation means that each time a computer accesses the network, it automatically obtains the IP address and other network configuration parameters from a server in the network. When you exit the network, return the IP address used to distribute the IP address to other computers. The server that undertakes this function is also called a DHCP server. It can centrally manage the allocation and use of IP Address Resources in the network and allocate other network parameters.

With the DHCP server, users and network administrators can enjoy great convenience. You do not need to configure the IP address of your computer or other network parameters, so that you can access the Internet after the machine is started. The Network Administrator only needs to maintain the DHCP server and does not need to consult many users about network parameter configuration. If you change the network configuration, you only need to modify the configuration of the DHCP server. In addition, public IP addresses can also be used, because after dynamic allocation, the IP addresses will not be bound to a user or computer and will be assigned to anyone who needs them.

Dynamic Address Allocation also makes it easy for a laptop to access the Internet. When a user changes the location of the laptop, the network configuration parameters often change. When dynamic allocation is adopted, users do not need to care about this. After the laptop is inserted into the network port, the correct network configuration parameters can be obtained.

Unlike the default gateway and Domain Name Server, the IP address of the DHCP server does not need to be set by the user. You only need to set parameters such as "Dynamic IP address acquisition" in the network. After the computer is connected to the network, it will automatically send data packets to the network, get in touch with the DHCP server, get the IP address and other network configuration parameters.

Note: The predecessor of the DHCP protocol is the BOOTP protocol. Some operating systems can also obtain IP addresses through The BOOTP protocol.