DHCP
| Category: Internet Tips | Date: 2002-12-20 |
At my day job, we were tasked with creating a Windows NT 4.0 network from scratch with only minimal training on the operating system. We were experts at working with OpenVMS and MacIntosh systems, but none of us had ever seen Windows NT before. In those days long ago we were very cocky, and very naive - how hard could it be to set up a new TCP/IP network? After all, we had mastered DECnet and Appletalk, could IP be any harder?
We soon learned the error of our ways - TCP/IP is far more complex than we had originally believed. However, after some head scratching and a few phone calls, we managed to get our network up and running.
We didn't know any better, so we simply hard coded the TCP/IP address into each workstation and server. In fact, we hard coded everything, including the DNS and WINS server addresses, the subnet and the gateway address.
For our purposes, this worked great for several years. We added machines slowly and planned everything far in advance, so it was no big deal to just add a new machine to the network. A few simple edits to the network control panel was all that was needed, and since our network was very static, we didn't have to visit those setting very often at all.
As our company grew this scheme started to get more and more awkward. Originally we had a nice, isolated, self-contained network, but now we needed to get on the internet, we were adding not only new workstations and servers at a furious rate, but we had to deal with PDAs, handheld systems, standalone file servers and hundreds of other computers.
To make matters even worse, where our network was very static, now it was becoming dynamic. Computers would be added and removed constantly - someone would plug his handheld into an ethernet jack, get their email, unplug and be gone.
The static TCP/IP scheme that we had been using (a spreadsheet with a list of machines and related addresses) was simply no longer working. Fortunately, there was an answer - DHCP.
The acronym DHCP stands for "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol", and it means exactly what it says. Once we discovered this new tool we realized we had found the solution to our problem - and we kicked ourselves mentally for not reading up on this wonderful tool long before.
To use DHCP is so straightforward that the only excuse for not using it is lack of knowledge. You create a DHCP server - depending upon the size of your network this can be added to an existing server (the network traffic is not usually very high) or you may need to use a dedicated system. Some people use the DHCP server that comes with Windows NT or whatever operating system they happen to be running. We found the best solution was to purchase a "DHCP appliance" - a small computer intended to host DHCP and only DHCP.
Once you've got your DHCP server installed, you use an interface of some kind (often just any browser such as Internet Explorer) to define your network parameters. These include the range of available TCP/IP addresses, the gateway address, the addresses (primary and secondary) of your DNS or name servers, and any of dozens of other parameters.
Now comes the really cool part. From this point forward, any machine on your network can, if told to do so, get all of the TCP/IP information from this DHCP server. This means you no longer need to enter and/or change any of this data. It's all handled for you. Windows 2000 Professional systems even use DHCP by default, which means new workstations practically work out of the box.
To make this all easy for home users as well, many hardware firewalls include a DHCP server as part of the package. This means if you get one of these firewalls (and it will tell you on the box or instructions if it has a DHCP server built-in) you can just plug computers in at home and not worry very much about TCP/IP.
The bottom line is there is no reason not to use DHCP for your workstations, laptops and handheld devices (it's not a good idea in general to use it for servers). You can even use it at home if you get the proper firewall.
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
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Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
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We soon learned the error of our ways - TCP/IP is far more complex than we had originally believed. However, after some head scratching and a few phone calls, we managed to get our network up and running.
We didn't know any better, so we simply hard coded the TCP/IP address into each workstation and server. In fact, we hard coded everything, including the DNS and WINS server addresses, the subnet and the gateway address.
For our purposes, this worked great for several years. We added machines slowly and planned everything far in advance, so it was no big deal to just add a new machine to the network. A few simple edits to the network control panel was all that was needed, and since our network was very static, we didn't have to visit those setting very often at all.
As our company grew this scheme started to get more and more awkward. Originally we had a nice, isolated, self-contained network, but now we needed to get on the internet, we were adding not only new workstations and servers at a furious rate, but we had to deal with PDAs, handheld systems, standalone file servers and hundreds of other computers.
To make matters even worse, where our network was very static, now it was becoming dynamic. Computers would be added and removed constantly - someone would plug his handheld into an ethernet jack, get their email, unplug and be gone.
The static TCP/IP scheme that we had been using (a spreadsheet with a list of machines and related addresses) was simply no longer working. Fortunately, there was an answer - DHCP.
The acronym DHCP stands for "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol", and it means exactly what it says. Once we discovered this new tool we realized we had found the solution to our problem - and we kicked ourselves mentally for not reading up on this wonderful tool long before.
To use DHCP is so straightforward that the only excuse for not using it is lack of knowledge. You create a DHCP server - depending upon the size of your network this can be added to an existing server (the network traffic is not usually very high) or you may need to use a dedicated system. Some people use the DHCP server that comes with Windows NT or whatever operating system they happen to be running. We found the best solution was to purchase a "DHCP appliance" - a small computer intended to host DHCP and only DHCP.
Once you've got your DHCP server installed, you use an interface of some kind (often just any browser such as Internet Explorer) to define your network parameters. These include the range of available TCP/IP addresses, the gateway address, the addresses (primary and secondary) of your DNS or name servers, and any of dozens of other parameters.
Now comes the really cool part. From this point forward, any machine on your network can, if told to do so, get all of the TCP/IP information from this DHCP server. This means you no longer need to enter and/or change any of this data. It's all handled for you. Windows 2000 Professional systems even use DHCP by default, which means new workstations practically work out of the box.
To make this all easy for home users as well, many hardware firewalls include a DHCP server as part of the package. This means if you get one of these firewalls (and it will tell you on the box or instructions if it has a DHCP server built-in) you can just plug computers in at home and not worry very much about TCP/IP.
The bottom line is there is no reason not to use DHCP for your workstations, laptops and handheld devices (it's not a good idea in general to use it for servers). You can even use it at home if you get the proper firewall.
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: internet-tips@GetResponse.com
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
List of articles available for reprint: article-list@internet-tips.net
articles@internet-tips.net
http://www.internet-tips.net
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