DHCP for Windows 2000: Managing the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is an open standard Internet protocol used to allocate and manage IP addresses dynamically. Before DHCP came along, administrators had to manually configure each host on a network with an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. Maintaining the changes and the associated logs took a tremendous amount of time and was prone to error. DHCP uses a client/server model in which the system updates and maintains the network information dynamically. Windows 2000 provides enhanced DHCP client-server support. This text is aimed at system administrators who are responsible for configuring and maintaining networks with Windows 2000 servers. It explains the DHCP protocol and how to install and manage DHCP on both servers and clients - including client platforms other than Windows 2000. The text includes detailed and explicit instructions for using Windows 2000 DHCP to manage network IP configurations more efficiently and effectively. It provides background information for using DHCP in general, plus complete information about the Windows 2000 use of DHCP. For those interested in what's on the horizon, the author provides an analysis of the future direction of DHCP and Windows support for IPv6.