What is the purpose of DHCP?

DHCP, the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, automatically assigns IP configuration information to client devices. This commonly includes an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS server information, and lease duration. Without DHCP, administrators would need to configure network addressing manually on each device, which is inefficient and error-prone at scale. DHCP does not handle email traffic; protocols such as SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 are associated with email. DHCP does not protect devices from malware; endpoint security tools and threat prevention controls address that need. DHCP also does not resolve hostnames into IP addresses; that is DNS. From a security perspective, DHCP matters because address assignment affects visibility, logging, segmentation, and incident investigation. If a security team sees suspicious traffic from an IP address, DHCP records can help identify which device held that address at the relevant time. Reference/topics: Network Fundamentals 2.4, NAT, DNS, and DHCP; Network Fundamentals 2.3, default gateway.