DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), defined in RFC 2131, is how a device joining a network gets an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS servers without anyone typing them in by hand. A client broadcasts a DISCOVER message, a server offers an address from a configured pool, the client requests it, and the server acknowledges it -- the DORA exchange -- after which the client holds that address for a fixed lease time and must renew before it expires. This is what lets a laptop, phone or IoT device get working network settings the moment it connects to a router, and it's the mechanism behind every dynamic IP a LAN hands out on its own. A DHCP server's pool is carved out of whatever subnet it serves, so planning how many addresses a scope needs starts with the same subnet math AdminKit's subnet calculator works through.
By AdminKit team, Netbase JSC · Updated