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Software Engineering vocabulary · APIs, Networking and Security

DHCP

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

abbreviationCore term

In software engineering, DHCP means: Short for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol: a protocol that automatically gives devices an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS servers when they join a network.

In Turkish: dinamik adres atama protokolü, DHCP

How it is used

Spelled out letter by letter. Engineers talk about the DHCP server, a DHCP pool or scope, DHCP leases and DHCP reservations. A typical problem is a pool that runs out of addresses, so new devices get no IP.

Example sentences

  1. The guest Wi-Fi DHCP pool is full, so new phones aren't getting an address.

  2. Set up a DHCP reservation for the printer so its address never changes.

Common collocations

  • DHCP server
  • DHCP pool
  • DHCP lease
  • DHCP reservation
  • DHCP relay
  • IP addressA unique numerical label given to every device on an IP network so that data can be sent to it, for example 192.168.1.20 in IPv4.
  • static IP addressAn IP address that is set by hand or permanently reserved for one device, so that it does not change, unlike a dynamic address handed out by DHCP.
  • default gatewayThe router address that a device sends traffic to when the destination is outside its own subnet; without it, a device can only talk to its local network.
  • DNSDomain Name System: the internet's directory that translates domain names like example.com into the IP addresses of servers.
  • subnet maskA number such as 255.255.255.0 that shows which part of an IPv4 address identifies the network and which part identifies the device; it can also be written as a prefix such as /24.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: APIs, Networking and Security

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