Using a DHCP server

DHCP(Dynamic Host Configuration) is a standard protocol which defines how clients can acquire their IP addresses and other network configuration parameters at startup. Normally, the DHCP server provides the client with at least these basic information:

IP Address
Subnet Mask
Default Gateway
DNS Server IP Address

This functionality significantly simplifies the network setup process for each client computer. In short, we don’t need to tell each client what is its IP address, what is its subnet mask, and so on… and are able to configure each client by the same way. The DHCP server has provided a centralized location to maintain all those network parameters. If the IP resource is very precious, it can be configured to reclaim or reuse an IP address which has been allocated or leased to a client when the client is not connected. It is a very effective way to manage a large enterprise network and eliminate the possibility to assign same IP address to different clients at the same time. The only drawback is that you must run a DHCP server before you can connect a client to the local network.

Preparation for the gateway computer:

The gateway computer always has a fixed IP address for its local network adapter, please follow the instruction steps 1,2,3,4,7 in the section Windows 95/98 Networking for Windows 95/98. The IP address should be 192.168.0.1 for this gateway. Do not configure the DNS and Gateway Tab (see Preparation for client computers step 5 and 6 in this page). For the Windows NT gateway, please follow the instructions in the section Windows NT Networking regarding Server Network Properties.

Preparation for client computers:

Each client computer will obtain a dynamic IP address while they are rebooting. Please follow steps 1,2,3 in the section Windows 95/98 Networking for Windows 95/98. In step 4, select “Obtain an IP address automatically” option.

In step 5, select “Disable DNS” option.

In step 6, do not enter any gateway IP address.

For Windows NT, the IP Address Tab will look like this:

and the DNS Tab will be this: