University Of Garmian

College Of Computer & Information Technology

Department Of Network

DHCP
DYNAMIC HOST CONFIGURATION
PROTOCOL

Supervised By : Prepared By :
Mr.Jamal Taha Azad Mohammed Amin
Baqr Akram Ismail
What is a DHSP? (DYNAMIC HOST CONFIGURATION PROTOCOL)
We all know that every device that connects to the network
gets its own IP address to be
Network identification, and this number changes every time
we log on to the network
Of course, except for small networks that we enter a private
IP address
In devices manually, but in large networks it is difficult to
enter the IP address manually
So the user gets the IP address automatically but how is that?
This is done by DHCP .
HISTORY
▪ DHCP was created by the Dynamic Host Configuration Working
Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force

▪ October 1993: RFC 1531 initially defined DHCP as a standard-

track protocol succeeding

▪ October 1997: RFC 2131 released is the current DHCP definition

for Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) networks
Two Types of IP Addresses
▪ DHCP is used to assign IP addresses
to hosts or workstations on the
network
▪ Two types of IP addresses:
✔Static
❖Is a number that is assigned to a computer by
an Internet service provider (ISP) to be its
permanent address on the Internet
✔Dynamic
❖The temporary IP address is called a dynamic
IP address
Why We Use DHCP ?
There are mainly two problem
solved by this protocol.
1)Reliable IP address
configuration.
2)Reduced network
administration.
WHY IS DHCP IMPORTANT?
●Important when it comes to adding a machine to a network.

●When computer requests an address, the administrator would have to manually

configure the machine
Mistakes are easily made

Causes difficulty for both administrator as well as neighbors on

the network.

●DHCP solves all the hassle of manually adding a machine to a network

How Does DHCP Work?
▪ When a client needs to start up TCP/IP operations, it
broadcasts a request for address information
▪ The DHCP server will not reallocate the address during the

lease period and will attempt to return the same address

every time the client requests an address

▪ The client can extend its lease or send a message to the

server before the lease expires it that it no longer needs

the

address so it can be released and assigned to another client

on the network
Components of DHCP

● 1.DHCP Server: DHCP Server is basically a server that holds IP Addresses and other
information related to configuration.

● 2.DHCP Client: It is basically a device that receives configuration information from

the server. It can be a mobile, laptop, computer, or any other electronic device that
requires a connection.

● 3.DHCP Relay: DHCP relays basically work as a communication channel between

DHCP Client and Server. 
Components of DHCP

● 4.IP Address Pool: It is the pool or container of IP Addresses possessed by the

DHCP Server. It has a range of addresses that can be allocated to devices.

● 5.Subnets: Subnets are smaller portions of the IP network partitioned to keep

networks under control. 

● 6.Lease: It is simply the time that how long the information received from the server
is valid, in case of expiration of the lease, the tenant must have to re-assign the lease.
ADVANTAGES OF DHCP
● 1.Reliable configuration: Configuring IP addresses manually can lead to errors. For
example, if you type the wrong number or assign the same number to two devices.
Automating the process with DHCP reduces those errors.

● 2.Less work for network admins: It would take a lot of time and resources for
network administrators to manually configure IP addresses in large networks. DHCP
makes things run more efficiently.

● 3.Real-time modifications: Admins can make changes to DHCP options in a network

even while the DHCP server is running and allotting IP addresses.
ADVANTAGES OF DHCP
● 5. It’s free: For most networks, implementing DHCP doesn’t come with any extra
costs.

● 6. Supports multiple devices on one network: DHCP allows you to connect to and
surf the web on whichever device you choose and still have a seamless experience.
DISADVANTAGES OF DHCP
● 1.Security: DHCP servers have no way to authenticate clients that request IP
addresses. So clients can gain access to unauthorized IP addresses by pretending to be
a different client.

● 2.Single point of failure: If a network has only one DHCP server and it fails, clients
can’t gain access to the web.

● 3.Required relay agents: DHCP servers must have relay agents to be able to
communicate with the network because DHCP data can’t travel across the router.
DISADVANTAGES OF DHCP
● 4.No static IP: Computers that are connected to a network with DHCP implemented
can’t be used as servers because their IP address is always changing.

● 5.Tracing internet activity: Tracking internet activity is more difficult with DHCP
in place because the same device may have two or more IP addresses over a given
period of time
SECURITY PROBLEM
▪ DHCP is an unauthenticated protocol

✔When connecting to a network, the user is not required to provide

credentials in order to obtain a lease

✔Malicious users with physical access to the DHCP-enabled network can

instigate a denial-of-service attack on DHCP servers by requesting many
leases from the server, thereby depleting the number of leases that are
available to other DHCP clients
Easy to set-up and administer
● DHCP servers are easy to administer and can be set-up in just a few minutes

● Client addresses are assigned automatically

LIMITATIONS
● Some machines on your network need to be at fixed addresses, for example servers
and routers

● You need to be able to assign a machine to run the DHCP server continually as it
must be available at all times when clients need IP access
CONCLUSION
▪ Assigning client addresses automatically is by far the easiest option
of the two:

✔Set-up automatically by DHCP server

✔Set-up manually

▪ To set-up clients automatically all you need to do is  set your TCP/IP

control panels to receive automatically

▪ If you intend to set up your client computers manually, make sure

that the assigned IP address is in the same range of your default router
address and that it is unique to your private network
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING