Networking Intermediate

What is DHCP?

A protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses and network configuration to devices on a network.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) eliminates manual IP configuration. When a device joins a network, it sends a broadcast request. The DHCP server responds with an available IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers.

The DORA process (Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge) handles address assignment. Leases have expiration times, after which addresses must be renewed.

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Related Terms

MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit)

The maximum size of a data packet that can be transmitted over a network without fragmentation.

A network routing technique where the same IP address is announced from multiple locations, directing users to the nearest server.

A formatted unit of data carried over a network, containing headers with routing information and a payload with the actual data.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A geographically distributed network of servers that caches and delivers web content from locations closest to users for faster load times.

Token Bucket Algorithm

A rate limiting algorithm that allows burst traffic by accumulating tokens at a fixed rate and consuming them per request.

DNS (Domain Name System)

A hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses.

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