Dell EMC Networking OS Configuration Guide for the S5048F–ON System 9.14.2.4

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

DHCP is an application layer protocol that dynamically assigns IP addresses and other configuration parameters to network end-stations (hosts) based on configuration policies determined by network administrators.

DHCP relieves network administrators of manually configuring hosts, which can be a tedious and error-prone process when hosts often join, leave, and change locations on the network and it reclaims IP addresses that are no longer in use to prevent address exhaustion.

DHCP is based on a client-server model. A host discovers the DHCP server and requests an IP address, and the server either leases or permanently assigns one. There are three types of devices that are involved in DHCP negotiation:

DHCP Server

This is a network device offering configuration parameters to the client.

DHCP Client

This is a network device requesting configuration parameters from the server.

Relay Agent

This is an intermediary network device that passes DHCP messages between the client and server when the server is not on the same subnet as the host.