What is DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)? When you connect to a network, you usually have an IP address assigned automatically by the router. This process is necessary for devices to be able to communicate with devices on other networks. The switch service that assigns IP addresses is called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP. DHCP works in a client-server model where a client broadcasts an IP address request to the local network and the DHCP server responds by assigning an IP address. Typically this happens as soon as the device connects to a network so it can start communicating as soon as possible. When IP addresses are given, they are leased only for a certain period of time, then the DHCP server retrieves the assigned IP address. To avoid this, hosts will start renewing their current IP address allocation halfway through the lease term. Generally, if a lease expires and a new IP address is assigned to a host, a new one is randomly assigned, not the same as th...