DHCP for Newbie

For those of you observers of computer network problems must have often heard the term DHCP. For those who do not understand about DHCP, so this time we will present a variety of answering questions about DHCP, especially for those who are beginners.
What is DHCP?DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
What is the use of DHCP?The purpose of DHCP is huge in a computer network. DHCP is used for computers that are contained on a computer network can retrieve configuration (be it an IP address, DNS address etc.) to those from a DHCP server. The point with the DHCP it will be able to reduce the work in administering a network of large IP-based computer. Imagine if a computer network consisting of 1000 computers and you have to set the IP address on each computer manually. Sucks is not it?

 Frequently Asked Questions Regarding DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

    Who created the DHCP? How do they create the DHCP?
    DHCP is created and designed by Dynamic Host Configuration working group on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). IETF is the organization itself that defines the various protocols in conjunction with the Internet. Furthermore, the definition of DHCP it self poured into a document RFC (Request for Comments) and then Internet Activities Board (IAB) review the status to later become a standard on the internet. As of March 1996, the status of DHCP is an Internet Proposed Standard Protocol and is Elective. Meanwhile BOOTP when it is Internet Draft Standard Protocol and is Recommended. To see more about the Internet standardization at the time, please access or read RFC1920.
    How are they different DHCP compared to BOOTP and RARP?
    Based on BOOTP and DHCP are still compatible with previous technology. The main difference is the BOOTP was designed for manual pre-configuration of the host information in a database server, while it used DHCP to provide dynamic allocation of network addresses and other important configuration for new hosts join the network. Additionally, DHCP allows a method of recovery and also the relocation of a network address via a mechanism leasing.RARP is a protocol used by Sun and other vendors which allows a computer to find its own IP number, which is one-parameter protocol parameters given to the client system by DHCP or BOOTP. RARP does not support other parameters and use them. A server is only able to serve a single LAN. Meanwhile, DHCP and BOOTP are designed so that they can be routed on the network.

    What if the client IP address assigned automatically without using a DHCP server?
    Theoretically this is possible, when the client or the computer may take any IP address for himself and then to broadcast a request to the other computers to see whether the IP address is already in use or not. Appletalk is designed with an idea like that and on Apple's MacTCP can be configured like this. However, the method of allocation of IP as it has several drawbacks, namely:

        Computers that require permanent IP address can be turned off and it made him lose his IP address and IP address can be used by other computers. This can result in difficulty finding service problems that exist on the network and also the risk of security problems.

        If giving IP address must be given by following a certain range, then this will cause problems because we have to determine its range on each computer. It will be led to hidden configuration errors and difficulties in replacing its range at a later date.

    Can DHCP assigning an IP address into a static network?
    Yes. This can be likened to that of each client in a computer network that implements DHCP will always receive the same IP forever. It's very possible and implemented according to RFC documents, it is an address allocation is done manually but centralized.

    Can a BOOTP client boot from a DHCP server?
    It could be as long as the DHCP server is specifically written to also handle BOOTP queries.

    Can a DHCP client boot from a BOOTP server?
    It could be as long as the DHCP client is written specifically to answer a message from a BOOTP server.

    Can a DHCP server be a backup for another DHCP server?
    You can have multiple DHCP servers in a network. During the DHCP servers are identical and have the same allocation for all clients in the network, the DHCP server if one dies, the configuration data can be retrieved from another DHCP server is still alive. It required a method of communication server-to-server on the DHCP servers.

    Where DHCP defined?
    You can read the document RFC1541, RFC1534 and RFC1533. To read it please you go to http://ds.internic.net/ds/dspg1intdoc.html

    Where I can read and read it more broadly about this DHCP?
    Feel free to address http://www.bucknell.edu/ ~ droms / dhcp / or to http://info.isoc.org/HMP/PAPER/127/html/paper.html or as usual, you can search in Google or Yahoo! with DHCP keyword tutorials.

    What features are offered by DHCP?
    DHCP server recognize three kinds of allocation, namely:

        Manual allocation: in which the server administrator to make configuration on the server that records the MAC address of each computer and for each MAC address is set each of its IP address.

        Automatic allocation: in which the server administrator to make configuration on the server which contains only the IP address that will be given to the client computer. Once an IP address associated with a MAC address on the computer, then he will be permanently associated with the MAC address of the server administrator to change it manually.

        Dynamic allocation: this is like automatic allocation, but the server will record the status of lending IP addresses (leases) and will provide an IP address that was already expired lease to a DHCP client or any other computer.

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