DHCP Interview Questions & Answers

By Parveen Kumar - October 13, 2014

Q:WhatisDHCP?
DHCPstandsforDynamicHostConfigurationProtocol.
Q:HowcanIpreventunauthorizedlaptopsfromusinganetworkthatusesDHCP
fordynamicaddressing?
ThiswouldhavetobedoneusingamechanismotherthanDHCP.DHCPdoesnotpreventother
clientsfromusingtheaddressesitissettohandoutnorcanitdistinguishbetweena
computerspermanentMACaddressandonesetbythecomputersuser.DHCPcanimposeno
restrictionsonwhatIPaddresscanuseaparticularportnorcontroltheIPaddressusedbyany
client.
Q:CanaBOOTPclientbootfromaDHCPserver?
OnlyiftheDHCPserverisspecificallywrittentoalsohandleBOOTPqueries.
Q:WhatisDHCPspurpose?
DHCPspurposeistoenableindividualcomputersonanIPnetworktoextracttheir
configurationsfromaserver(theDHCPserver)orservers,inparticular,serversthathaveno
exactinformationabouttheindividualcomputersuntiltheyrequesttheinformation.Theoverall
purposeofthisistoreducetheworknecessarytoadministeralargeIPnetwork.Themost
significantpieceofinformationdistributedinthismanneristheIPaddress.
Q:CanDHCPsupportremoteaccess?
PPPhasitsownnonDHCPwayinwhichcommunicationsserverscanhandclientsanIPaddress
calledIPCP(IPControlProtocol)butdoesnthavethesameflexibilityasDHCPorBOOTPin
handingoutotherparameters.SuchacommunicationsservermaysupporttheuseofDHCPto
acquiretheIPaddressesitgivesout.ThisissometimescalleddoingDHCPbyproxyforthe
client.IknowthatWindowsNTsremoteaccesssupportdoesthis.AfeatureofDHCPunder
development(DHCPinform)isamethodbywhichaDHCPservercansupplyparameterstoa
clientthatalreadyhasanIPnumber.Withthis,aPPPclientcouldgetitsIPnumberusingIPCP,

thengettherestofitsparametersusingthisfeatureofDHCP.SLIPhasnostandardwayin
whichaservercanhandaclientanIPaddress,butmanycommunicationsserverssupportnon
standardwaysofdoingthisthatcanbeutilizedbyscripts,etc.Thus,likecommunications
serverssupportingPPP,suchcommunicationsserverscouldalsosupporttheuseofDHCPto
acquiretheIPaddresseestogiveout.TheDHCPprotocoliscapableofallocatinganIPaddress
toadevicewithoutanIEEEstyleMACaddress,suchasacomputerattachedthroughSLIPor
PPP,buttodoso,itmakesuseofafeaturewhichmayormaynotbesupportedbytheDHCP
server:theabilityoftheservertousesomethingotherthantheMACaddresstoidentifythe
client.CommunicationsserversthatacquireIPnumbersfortheirclientsviaDHCPrunintothe
sameroadblockinthattheyhavejustoneMACaddress,butneedtoacquiremorethanoneIP
address.Onewaysuchacommunicationsservercangetaroundthisproblemisthroughtheuse
ofasetofuniquepseudoMACaddressesforthepurposesofitscommunicationswiththeDHCP
server.Anotherway(usedbyShiva)istouseadifferentclientIDtypeforyourhardware
address.ClientIDtype1meansyoureusingMACaddresses.However,clientIDtype0means
anASCIIstring.
Q:HowcanIpreventunauthorizedlaptopsfromusinganetworkthatusesDHCP
fordynamicaddressing?
ThiswouldhavetobedoneusingamechanismotherthanDHCP.DHCPdoesnotpreventother
clientsfromusingtheaddressesitissettohandoutnorcanitdistinguishbetweena
computerspermanentMACaddressandonesetbythecomputersuser.DHCPcanimposeno
restrictionsonwhatIPaddresscanuseaparticularportnorcontroltheIPaddressusedbyany
client.
Q:CanaBOOTPclientbootfromaDHCPserver?
OnlyiftheDHCPserverisspecificallywrittentoalsohandleBOOTPqueries.
Q:CanDHCPworkwithAppleTalkorIPX?
No,itistootiedtoIP.Furthermore,theydontneeditsincetheyhavealwayshadautomated
mechanismsforassigningtheirownnetworkaddresses.
Q:WhatisaDHCPlease?

ADHCPleaseistheamountoftimethattheDHCPservergrantstotheDHCPclientpermission
touseaparticularIPaddress.Atypicalserverallowsitsadministratortosettheleasetime.
Q:WhatisDHCPSpoofing?
AscendPipelineISDNrouters(whichattachEthernetstoISDNlines)incorporateafeaturethat
AscendcallsDHCPspoofingwhichisessentiallyatinyserverimplementationthathandsanIP
addresstoaconnectingWindows95computer,withtheintentionofgivingitanIPnumber
duringitsconnectionprocess.
Q:Howlongshouldaleasebe?
Averyrelevantfactoristhattheclientstartstryingtorenewtheleasewhenitishalfway
through:thus,forexample,witha4daylease,theclientwhichhaslostaccesstoitsDHCP
serverhas2daysfromwhenitfirsttriestorenewtheleaseuntiltheleaseexpiresandthe
clientmuststopusingthenetwork.Duringa2dayoutage,newuserscannotgetnewleases,
butnoleasewillexpireforanycomputerturnedonatthetimethattheoutagecommences.
Anotherfactoristhatthelongertheleasethelongertimeittakesforclientconfiguration
changescontrolledbyDHCPtopropogate.
Q:IsaDHCPclientsupposedtobeabletouseaBOOTPserver?
TheRFConsuchinteroperability(1534)isclear:ADHCPclientMAYuseareplyfromaBOOTP
serveriftheconfigurationreturnedfromtheBOOTPserverisacceptabletotheDHCPclient.
(section3).ThewordMAYindicatessuchsupport,howeveruseful,isleftasanoption.
Q:WhatisaClientID?
WhatistermedtheClientIDforthepurposesoftheDHCPprotocoliswhateverisusedbythe
protocoltoidentifytheclientcomputer.Bydefault,DHCPimplementationstypicallyemploythe
clientsMACaddressforthispurpose,buttheDHCPprotocolallowsotheroptions.SomeDHCP
implementationshaveasetupoptiontospecifytheclientIDyouwant.Onealternativetothe
MACaddressissimplyacharacterstringofyourchoice.Inanycase,inorderforDHCPto
function,youmustbecertainthatnootherclientisusingtheclientIDyouchoose,andyou
mustbesuretheDHCPserverwillacceptit.
Q:HowcanIrelayDHCPifmyrouterdoesnotsupportit?

Aserveronanet(subnet)canrelayDHCPorBOOTPforthatnet.Microsofthassoftwareto
makeWindowsNTdothis.
Q:IsaDHCPserversupposedtobeabletosupportaBOOTPclient?
TheRFConsuchinteroperability(1534)isclear:Insummary,aDHCPserver:
MAYsupportBOOTPclients,(section2).ThewordMAYindicatessuchsupport,however
useful,isleftasanoption.
Asourceofconfusiononthispointisthefollowingstatementinsection1.5ofRFC1541:DHCP
mustprovideservicetoexistingBOOTPclients.However,thisstatementisoneinalistof
generaldesigngoalsforDHCP,i.e.whatthe
designersoftheDHCPprotocolsetastheirowngoals.Itisnotinalistofrequirementsfor
DHCPservers.
Q:CanDHCPsupportstaticallydefinedaddresses?
Yes.Atleastthereisnothingintheprotocoltoprecludethisandoneexpectsittobeafeature
ofanyDHCPserver.Thisisreallyaservermatterandtheclientshouldworkeitherway.The
RFCreferstothisasmanualallocation.
Q:WhatisaMACaddress?
AMACaddress(alsocalledanEthernetaddressoranIEEEMACaddress)isanumber(typically
writtenastwelvehexadecimaldigits,0through9andAthroughF,orassixhexadecimal
numbersseparatedbyperiodsorcolons,i.e.0080002012ef,0:80:0:2:20:ef)whichuniquely
identifesacomputerthathasanEthernetinterface.UnliketheIPnumber,itincludesno
indicationofwhereyourcomputerislocated.InDHCPstypicaluse,theserverusesa
requestingcomputersMACaddresstouniquelyidentifyit.
Q:CanaDHCPserverbackupanotherDHCPserver?
Youcanhavetwoormoreservershandingoutleasesfordifferentaddresses.Ifeachhasa
dynamicpoolaccessibletothesameclients,thenevenifoneserverisdown,oneofthose
clientscanleaseanaddressfromtheotherserver.However,withoutcommunicationbetween
thetwoserverstosharetheirinformationoncurrentleases,whenoneserverisdown,any
clientwithaleasefromitwillnotbeabletorenewtheirleasewiththeotherserver.Such
communicationisthepurposeoftheservertoserverprotocol(seenextquestion).Itis

possiblethatsomeservervendorshaveaddressedthisissuewiththeirownproprietaryserver
toservercommunication.
Q:WhatprotocolandportdoesDHCPuse?
DHCP,likeBOOTPrunsoverUDP,utilizingports67and68.
SubmittedBy:AnilKumarEmailID:anil.dhangar@gmail.com