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RackSwitch G8000 Application Guide
Chapter 8: Basic IP Routing
127BMD00041, November 2008
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a transport protocol that provides a frame-
work for automatically assigning IP addresses and configuration information to other IP hosts
or clients in a large TCP/IP network. Without DHCP, the IP address must be entered manually
for each network device. DHCP allows a network administrator to distribute IP addresses from
a central point and automatically send a new IP address when a device is connected to a differ-
ent place in the network.
The switch accepts gateway configuration parameters if they have not been configured
manually. The switch ignores DHCP gateway parameters if the gateway is configured.
DHCP is an extension of another network IP management protocol, Bootstrap Protocol
(BOOTP), with an additional capability of being able to allocate reusable network addresses
and configuration parameters for client operation.
Built on the client/server model, DHCP allows hosts or clients on an IP network to obtain their
configurations from a DHCP server, thereby reducing network administration. The most sig-
nificant configuration the client receives from the server is its required IP address; (other
optional parameters include the “generic” file name to be booted, the address of the default
gateway, and so forth).
To enable DHCP on an IP interface, use the following commands:
RS G8000 (config)# interface ip 2
RS G8000 (config-ip-if)# dhcp enable
RS G8000 (config-ip-if)# exit