6.10 DHCP

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is an extension of BOOTP and is also built on the client/server model. DHCP provides a method for dynamically assigning IP addresses and configuration parameters to other IP hosts or clients in an IP network. DHCP allows a host to automatically allocate reusable IP addresses and additional configuration parameters for client operation. DHCP enables clients to obtain an IP address for a fixed length of time, which is known as the lease period . When the lease period expires , the remote DHCP server can assign the IP address to another client on the network.