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DHCP: The Networking Protocol That the Gives

You an IP Address

As long as you're learning about your IP address, you should learn a

little about something called DHCP—which stands for Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol. Why bother? Because it has a direct impact on
millions of IP addresses, most likely including yours.

DHCP is at the heart of assigning you (and everyone) their IP address.

The key word in DHCP is protocol—the guiding rules and process for
Internet connections for everyone, everywhere. DHCP is consistent,
accurate and works the same for every computer. Remember that
without an IP address, you would not be able to receive the information
you requested. As you've learned (by reading IP: 101), your IP address
tells the Internet to send the information that you requested (Web page,
email, data, etc.) right to the computer that requested it.

Those incredible protocols

There are more than one billion computers in the world, and each
individual computer needs its own IP address whenever it's online. The
TCP/IP protocols (our computers' built-in, internal networking software)
include a DHCP protocol. It automatically assigns and keeps tabs of IP
addresses and any "subnetworks" that require them. Nearly all IP
addresses are dynamic, as opposed to "static" IP addresses that never
change.

DHCP is a part of the "application layer," which is just one of the several
TCP/IP protocols. All of the processing and figuring out of what to send
to whom happens virtually instantly.

Clients and servers

The networking world classifies computers into two distinctive

categories: 1) individual computers, called "hosts," and 2) computers
that help process and send data (called "servers"). A DHCP server is
one computer on the network that has a number of IP address at its
disposal to assign to the computers/hosts on that network. If you use a
cable company for Internet access, making them your Internet Service
Provider, they likely are your DHCP server.

Permission slips
Think of getting an IP address as similar to obtaining a special
permission slip from the DHCP server to use the Internet. In this
scenario, you are the DHCP client—whenever you want to go on the
 Internet, your computer automatically requests an IP address from the
network's DHCP server. If there's one available, the DHCP server
sends a response containing an IP address to your computer.

How DHCP works

The key word in DHCP is "dynamic." Because instead of having just

one fixed and specific IP address, most computers will be assigned one
that is available from a subnet or "pool" that is assigned to the network.
The Internet isn't one big computer in one big location. It's an
interconnected network of networks, all created to make one-on-one
connections between any two clients that want to exchange
information.

One of the features of DHCP is that it provides IP addresses that

"expire." When DHCP assigns an IP address, it actually leases that
connection identifier to the user's computer for a specific amount of
time. The default lease is five days.

Here is how the DHCP process works when you go online:

1. Your go on your computer to connect to the Internet.

2. The network requests an IP address (this is actually referred
to as a DHCP discover message).
3. On behalf of your computer's request, the DHCP server
allocates (leases) to your computer an IP address. This is
referred to as the DHCP offer message.
4. Your computer (remember—you're the DHCP client) takes the
first IP address offer that comes along. It then responds with a
DHCP request message that verifies the IP address that's
been offered and accepted.
5. DHCP then updates the appropriate network servers with the
IP address and other configuration information for your
computer.
6. Your computer (or whatever network device you're using)
accepts the IP address for the lease term.

Typically, a DHCP server renews your lease automatically, without you

(or even a network administrator) having to do anything. However, if
that IP address's lease expires, you'll be assigned a new IP address
using the same DHCP protocols.

Here's the best part: You wouldn't even be aware of it, unless you
happened to check your IP address. Your Internet usage would
continue as before. DHCP takes place rather instantly, and entirely
behind the scenes. We, as everyday, ordinary computer users, never
have to think twice about it. We just get to enjoy this amazing and
instantaneous technology that brings the Internet to our fingertips when
we open our browsers. I guess you could say DHCP stands for "darn
handy computer process"...or something like that.

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