DHCP Server Configuration in Cisco

DHCP is a network management protocol used in networks to dynamically assign IP addresses and other network configuration information like default gateway, mask, DNS server address, etc. It is an application layer protocol. 

In this article, we will know about DHCP server configuration using Cisco Packet Tracer.

Steps to Configure and Verify DHCP Server in Cisco Packet Tracer:

Step 1: First, open the cisco packet tracer desktop and select the devices given below:

S.NO	Device	Model-Name	Unit
1.	PC	PC	5
2.	Switch	PT-Switch	2
3.	Router	PT-Router	1
4.	Server	Server-PT	1

• Now create a network topology as shown below the image.
• Use an Automatic connecting cable to connect the devices with others.

Step 2: Configure the Server with IPv4 address and Subnet Mask according to the Data given above.

• To assign an IP address in Server, click on Server-PT.
• Then, go to desktop and IP configuration and there you will find IPv4 configuration.
• Add IPv4 address, subnet mask, and Default Gateway.

Parameters	Address value
IPv4 Address	172.168.10.2
Subnet Mask	255.255.255.0
Default-Gateway	172.168.10.1

2. Assigning IP address using the ipconfig command.

• We can also assign an IP address with the help of a command.
• Go to the command prompt of the server
• Then, type ipconfig <IPv4 address><subnet mask><default gateway>(if needed)

example: ipconfig 172.168.10.2  255.255.255.0 172.168.10.1

Step 3: Configuring the DHCP server.

To configure the DHCP server first,

• Click on Server then, Go to services.
• Click on DHCP and turn on the services and, configure the DHCP server with the help of the data given below.
  • Delete the default values of Start IP Address and subnet Mask then save the info.
  • Create two new pools.

POOL1 and POOL2 and fill the data as shown in the images below. 

Step 4: Configuring Router with IPv4 Address and Subnet Mask.

IP Addressing Table for Router:

S.NO	Device	Interface	IPv4 Address	Subnet Mask
1.	router0	FastEthernet0/0	172.168.10.1	255.255.255.0
		FastEthernet0/1	192.168.10.1	255.255.255.0

• To assign an IP address in router0, click on router0.
• Then, go to config and then Interfaces, and make sure to turn on the ports.
• Then, configure the IP address in FastEthernet according to IP addressing Table.
• Fill IPv4 address and subnet mask.

Step 5: Configuring the PCs and changing the IP configuration.

• To assign an IP address in PC0, click on PC0.
• Then, go to desktop and IP configuration and there you will find IPv4 configuration.
• Change its state from static to DHCP.
• It will automatically fetch the data and configure itself.

• Repeat the same procedure with other PCs to configure them thoroughly.

Output:

You can also refer to the articles  DHCP server and Working of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for more details.