Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

dhcp.pcap

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is another fairly simple protocol. DHCP (RFC 2131) automatically provides clients with network-related configuration information, such as a domain name, NTP server address, or a unique Layer 3 (IP) address. The DHCP communication process is a client/server communication type in which the client computer requests an IP address from a DHCP server and the server acknowledges it by giving it one.

The basic functionality of DHCP is a simple four-step process. The process begins with packet 1 when the client computer sends a DHCP Discover packet to the broadcast IP address 255.255.255.255 (as shown in Figure 6-2).

Figure 6-2. DHCP begins with a DHCP Discover packet, ...

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