2.5 - Assigning IP Addresses

Question 1

What does BOOTP stand for and what is its primary function?

Answer 1

BOOTP stands for Bootstrap Protocol. Its primary function is to automatically assign IP addresses to devices.

Question 2

What protocol improved upon BOOTP and what was its main enhancement?

Answer 2

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) improved upon BOOTP by providing automatic configuration of not just IP addresses, but also subnet masks, default gateways, and more settings.

Question 3

What are the four steps in the DHCP process?

Answer 3

The four steps are Discover, Offer, Request, and Acknowledge (D-O-R-A).

Question 4

What happens during the ‘Discover’ phase of the DHCP process?

Answer 4

The client workstation sends a broadcast to locate a DHCP server on the local network.

Question 5

What occurs in the ‘Offer’ phase of the DHCP process?

Answer 5

The DHCP server offers an IP address to the client workstation.

Question 6

What is the purpose of the ‘Request’ phase in the DHCP process?

Answer 6

The client workstation sends a request to accept the offered IP address from a DHCP server.

Question 7

What does the ‘Acknowledge’ phase involve in the DHCP process?

Answer 7

The DHCP server acknowledges the request and provides the IP configuration settings to the client workstation.

Question 8

How do DHCP servers handle redundancy in a network?

Answer 8

Redundancy is achieved by having multiple DHCP servers on different IP subnets, with routers configured as DHCP proxies or relays to forward DHCP broadcasts.

Question 9

What is the function of a DHCP reservation?

Answer 9

A DHCP reservation ensures that a specific device with a particular MAC address always receives the same IP address from the DHCP server.

Question 10

What is an APIPA address and when is it assigned?

Answer 10

An APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) address is assigned when a device configured for DHCP cannot find a DHCP server, allowing communication only within the local network.

Question 11

What is the IP address range for APIPA addresses?

Answer 11

The APIPA address range is 169.254.0.0 to 169.254.255.255.

Question 12

How does a device assign itself an APIPA address?

Answer 12

The device randomly selects an IP address from the APIPA range and performs an ARP request to ensure it is not already in use.

Question 13

What information is missing in the IP configuration when a device has an APIPA address?

Answer 13

The default gateway is left blank because APIPA addresses do not allow communication outside the local network.