Dynamic Host Configuration

Protocol (DHCP):
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) -
Designed to:
– Supply hosts with configuration parameters.
– Lease dynamically allocated IP addresses.
– Interoperate with BOOTP (acts as an
enhancement to BOOTP).
• The original definitions for DHCP can be found in
RFC-1531, RFC-1533, and RFC-1534
Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP):
• DHCP supports three mechanisms for IP address
allocation:
– Automatic - assigns a permanent IP address.
– Dynamic - the IP address is assigned for a
limited time.
– Manual - a network administrator assigns the
address and DHCP conveys the address to the
host.
DHCP Message Format:

• The frame format is based on BOOTP’s to capture

the BOOTP relay agent behavior.
• This is also to promote the interoperability of
existing BOOTP clients with DHCP servers.
• The only two fields that differ are:
– Flags (16-bits) = Not Used in BOOTP
– Options (Variable) = Vendor-Specific area has
been extended beyond 64 bytes to handle more
options.
0 8 16 24 31
OP HTYPE HLEN HOPS
TRANSACTION ID
SECONDS FLAGS
CLIENT IP ADDRESS
YOUR IP ADDRESS
SERVER IP ADDRESS
ROUTER IP ADDRESS
CLIENT HARDWARE ADDRESS
.. ( 16 OCTETS )
.
SERVER HOST NAME .. ( 64 OCTETS )
.
BOOT FILE NAME .. ( 128 OCTETS )
.
OPTIONS ( .VARIABLE )
..
Difference Between
BOOTP and DHCP:
• Two primary differences between BOOTP and
DHCP:
– A client can be assigned an IP addresses for a
fixed time-lease and then that address can be
reassigned again at a later time.
– DHCP provides the mechanism for the client to
acquire ALL IP configuration parameters it
needs to be fully functional.
DHCP Functionality:

• How it works:
– A client needing an IP address sends a
DHCPDISCOVER broadcast message over the
network which contains the client’s MAC
address (hardware).
DHCP Functionality:

• Any DHCP server (may be several offers) can

respond with a DHCPOFFER unicast message to
the client’s MAC address offering an:
• IP address
• Subnet mask
• IP address of the DHCP server
• Expiration time of the lease.
DHCP Functionality:

– Client selects an offer by sending a

DHCPREQUEST unicast message to the
appropriate DHCP server and accepts the
offered configuration information.
DHCP Functionality:

– The DHCP server responds with a DHCPACK

unicast message to the client and officially
assigns the address to the client node.
– It then provides DNS and/or WINS (Windows
Internet Name Service) server addresses, the
default gateway IP address, etc.
What is WINS?

• Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS):

– Microsoft has it’s own domain name service for
use on many of it’s TCP/IP networks.
– WINS is not an official Internet name service,
but is commonly used with many LANs.
– WINS, in part, allows a client node to identify
and connect to another windows machine.
– Windows 95, NT, and Windows for
Workgroups all use WINS servers.
Image source: Internetworking with TCP/IP vol I (1995 Prentice Hall, Douglas Comer)
Configuration and
Compatibility Issues:
• DHCP currently:
– Does not handle the registration of newly
configured hosts with the DNS
– Nor is it intended for use in configuring routers.
• DHCP must provide service to existing BOOTP
clients, to ensure their interoperability and
coexistence.
Configuration and
Compatibility Issues:
• Administrators setup scopes (ranges) of IP
addresses available on each subnet for dynamic
allocation by DHCP.
• Configuration options are defined either globally
or per scope as appropriate.
Configuration and
Compatibility Issues:
• When the DHCP service assigns IP addresses and
configuration options to a client, it does so based
on the scope of the subnet on which the client
resides.
• This can differ for each network in an autonomous
system.
Address Leasing in DHCP:

• Deciding efficient lease times is a key issue for

DHCP:
– Choosing times which are too short can cause
unneeded overhead on a machine, the network,
DHCP servers, and possibly administrators.
– Choosing times which are too long can waste
valuable IP addresses (to be used with other
machines) and disrupt routers which try to send
packets to an unused address.
Address Leasing in DHCP:

• The lease renewal process used with DHCP begins

when 50% of the lease period has expired.
• This occurs long before the lease expires, which
gives the machine and the user time to request and
allocate another.
Problems and Concerns of DHCP:

• Dynamic configuration is highly desirable for

large corporate environments.
• Name registration problems still haunt DHCP’s
wide-spread acceptance, but the issue is currently
being investigated.
• This will probably change with the acceptance of
IPv6.
Acceptance of a New Standard:

• The IETF has defined several RFC documents

which detail the DHCP protocol.
• Changes are also being made to handle the current
short-comings of DHCP.
• Many vendors (AT&T, Microsoft, etc.) currently
support or plan to support DHCP.
Questions
BOOTP and DHCP
• What advantages does DHCP provide over
traditional RARP or BOOTP protocols?
• What is an optimal lease time-period when choosing
an IP address to use through DHCP?
• To what advantage does it serve DHCP to use the
same message format of BOOTP? Why?
• What are some types of vendor specific information
that may be included in a BOOTP message?
• Does your TCP/IP stack support DHCP? BOOTP?
Reference Materials
BOOTP and DHCP
• RFC1534: Interoperation between DHCP and BOOTP:
(http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc1534.html)
• DHCP FAQ:
(http://web.syr.edu/~jmwobus/comfaqs/dhcp.faq.html)
• RFC1541: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc1541.html)
• RFC1532: Clarifications and Extensions for the Bootstrap
Protocol
(http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc1532.html)
• Internetworking w/ TCP/IP vol 1, 3rd Edition: D. Comer.