DHCP - What is it?

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Rather than manually assigning IP addresses to devices when they join the network, DHCP does this on its own. Once a new device connects to the network, the DHCP is responsible for assigning in network configuration parameters such as subnet mask, default gateway, DNS servers, and an IP address. This saves time and effort as you do not have someone manually doing this every time a device joins the network. It also prevents human error. DHCP's