DHCP Lab Assignment
1. Are DHCP messages sent over UDP or TCP?
Ans : DHCP(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) works in application layer using UDP .
2. Draw a timing datagram illustrating the sequence of the first four-packet
Discover/Offer/Request/ACK DHCP exchange between the client and server. For each
packet, indicated the source and destination port numbers. Are the port numbers the
same as in the example given in this lab assignment?
Ans :
3. What is the link-layer (e.g., Ethernet) address of your host?
Ans :
4. What values in the DHCP discover message differentiate this message from the DHCP
request message?
Ans : DHCP Discover message has value 1 while DHCP Request message has value 3.
5. What is the value of the Transaction-ID in each of the first four
(Discover/Offer/Request/ACK) DHCP messages? What are the values of the
Transaction-ID in the second set (Request/ACK) set of DHCP messages? What is the
purpose of the Transaction-ID field?
Ans : Transaction ID of first four DHCP messages is same i.e 0xcdac9de
And Transaction ID of second set of (request/ack) is 0xadbf455b.
Purpose is to differentiate between the different requests made by the user.
6. A host uses DHCP to obtain an IP address, among other things. But a host’s IP
address is not confirmed until the end of the four-message exchange! If the IP
address is not set until the end of the four-message exchange, then what values are
used in the IP datagrams in the four-message exchange? For each of the four DHCP
messages (Discover/Offer/Request/ACK DHCP), indicate the source and destination IP
addresses that are carried in the encapsulating IP datagram.
Ans : Discover : Src = [Link] Dest. = [Link]
Offer : Src = [Link] Dest. = [Link]
Request : Src = [Link] Dest. = [Link]
Ack : Src = [Link] Dest. = [Link]
7. What is the IP address of your DHCP server?
Ans : [Link]
8. What IP address is the DHCP server offering to your host in the DHCP Offer message?
Indicate which DHCP message contains the offered DHCP address.
Ans : [Link]
9. In the example screenshot in this assignment, there is no relay agent between the
host and the DHCP server. What values in the trace indicate the absence of a relay
agent? Is there a relay agent in your experiment? If so what is the IP address of the
agent?
Ans : There is no relay agent in my experiment since the value of relay IP Address is
[Link]
10. Explain the purpose of the router and subnet mask lines in the DHCP offer message.
Ans : Router line specifies the default gateway for the client, directing all traffic destined
for other networks to that IP address.
The subnet mask line provides the client with the correct subnet mask to use, which
defines the size of the network and helps devices determine if a destination IP is on the
same local network or needs to be sent to the default gateway for routing.
11. In the DHCP trace file noted in footnote 2, the DHCP server offers a specific IP
address to the client (see also question 8. above). In the client’s response to the first
server OFFER message, does the client accept this IP address? Where in the client’s
RESPONSE is the client’s requested address?
Ans : Client accepts the IP Address and can request for a specific IP address. Client’s
requested address is present in DHCP request packet. Here, it is [Link]
12. Explain the purpose of the lease time. How long is the lease time in your
experiment?
Ans : Purpose of lease time is to grant client permission to use a specific IP address for a
set duration of time which helps to maintain the IP address availability.
Lease Time in my experiment is 1 day (86400 seconds).
13. What is the purpose of the DHCP release message? Does the DHCP server issue an
acknowledgment of receipt of the client’s DHCP request? What would happen if the
client’s DHCP release message is lost?
Ans : Purpose of DHCP release message is to inform the DHCP server that the client is
voluntarily releasing its IP address, allowing the DHCP server to reclaim the IP address
and make it available for another client.
DHCP server does not issue an acknowledgement for the release message.
If this DHCP release message is lost then DHCP server will not know about the voluntary
release of IP address by the client until the lease time expires.
14. Clear the bootp filter from your Wireshark window. Were any ARP packets sent or
received during the DHCP packet-exchange period? If so, explain the purpose of
those ARP packets.
Ans : Yes, there are ARP packets present during the exchange of DHCP packet.
There purpose is for the client to verify that the offered IP address is not already in use
on the network.