DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration PROTOCOL, and it is a client-server architecture.

The following are the advantages or benefits of DHCP:

• DHCP is simple to set up and assign IP addresses to request clients automatically. As a result, the time it takes to manually configure IP addresses can be decreased.
• There are no additional expenditures associated with the deployment.
• Duplicate or ERRONEOUS IP address assignment is AVOIDED. As a result, there are no IP address disputes.
• It makes network administration easier.
• It supports a variety of scopes, such as multicast and super scopes.
• It benefits mobile users greatly because correct configuration parameters are received immediately from the new network.

The following are DHCP's drawbacks or downsides:

• In networks with only one configured DHCP server, the DHCP server might be a single point of failure.
• Because DHCP packets cannot cross ROUTERS, a RELAY agent is required to ensure that the DHCP server handles all leases on both network segments. Relay agents accept broadcast DHCP packets and forward them to the DHCP server as unicast packets. In this case, the relay agent must be configured with the DHCP server's IP address.
• Security: Because the DHCP server lacks a secure means for client authentication, it can get unauthorised access to IP addresses by submitting credentials such as DHCP client identifiers.
• When a new IP address is assigned, the machine name does not change.