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Configure the System to be a DHCP Server
A DHCP server is a network device that has been programmed to provide network configuration parameters to clients upon
request. Servers typically serve many clients, making host management much more organized and efficient.
The following table lists the key responsibilities of DHCP servers.
Table 23. DHCP Server Responsibilities
DHCP Server Responsibility Description
Address Storage and Management DHCP servers are the owners of the addresses DHCP clients
uses. The server stores the addresses and manages their use,
keeping track of which addresses have been allocated and
which are still available.
Configuration Parameter Storage and Management DHCP servers also store and maintain other parameters that
are sent to clients when requested. These parameters specify
in detail how a client is to operate.
Lease Management DHCP servers use leases to allocate addresses to clients for
a limited time. The DHCP server maintains information about
each of the leases, including lease length.
Responding To Client Requests DHCP servers respond to different types of requests from
clients, primarily, granting, renewing, and terminating leases.
Providing Administration Services DHCP servers include functionality that allows an
administrator to implement policies that govern how DHCP
performs its other tasks.
Configuration Tasks
To configure DHCP, an administrator must first set up a DHCP server and provide it with configuration parameters and policy
information including IP address ranges, lease length specifications, and configuration data that DHCP hosts need.
Configuring the Dell system to be a DHCP server is a three-step process:
1. Configuring the Server for Automatic Address Allocation
2. Specifying a Default Gateway
3. Enabling the DHCP Server
Related Configuration Tasks
● Configure a Method of Hostname Resolution
● Creating Manual Binding Entries
● Debugging the DHCP Server
● Using DHCP Clear Commands
Configuring the Server for Automatic Address Allocation
Automatic address allocation is an address assignment method by which the DHCP server leases an IP address to a client from a
pool of available addresses.
An address pool is a range of IP addresses that the DHCP server may assign. The subnet number indexes the address pools.
To create an address pool, follow these steps.
1. Access the DHCP server CLI context.
CONFIGURATION mode
ip dhcp server
2. Create an address pool and give it a name.
DHCP mode
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Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)