Lab Handout 3

DHCP/DNS/HTTP

Introduction to DHCP

DHCP simplifies the administrative management of IP address configuration by

automating address configuration for network clients. The DHCP standard provides
for the use of DHCP servers, which are defined as any computer running the DHCP
service. The DHCP server automatically allocates IP addresses and related TCP/IP
configuration settings to DHCP-enabled clients on the network.

Every device on a TCP/IP-based network must have a unique IP address in order to

access the network and its resources. Without DHCP, IP configuration must be done
manually for new computers, computers moving from one subnet to another, and
computers removed from the network.

By deploying DHCP in a network, this entire process is automated and centrally

managed. The DHCP server maintains a pool of IP addresses and leases an address to
any DHCP-enabled client when it logs on to the network. Because the IP addresses
are dynamic (leased) rather than static (permanently assigned), addresses no longer in
use are automatically returned to the pool for reallocation.

DHCP Lab on Packet Tracer

Introduction to HTTP

Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the underlying protocol used by the World
Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what
actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. For
example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP
command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page.

HTTP Lab on Packet Tracer

Introduction to DNS (Domain Name System)

The internet works because every computer that is connected to it, all use the same
protocol to communicate and to route traffic.Without this universal protocol the
networks that make up the internet would not be able to route the information to the
correct destination.

The TCP/IP protocol that deals with the way information is shared across the internet
is one of the oldest and certainly one of the most reliable. The numerical address of
the protocol is what is known as the IP address of the computer, and every machine is
given a unique number when they connect to the internet. This gives us humans the
main pitfall of this long established system; we find it hard to remember numbers.

As humans we like to give everything a name, to help us identify things and recall
them later and it is much easier to remember an alphanumeric name than a series of
numbers.
A good analogy of this is with a public telephone directory, where we look up a name
to get the corresponding telephone number, imagine how it would be to remember a
number and look up the corresponding name. That is exactly what the DNS system
does for us.

So what happens when a domain name is entered into a web browser? The browser
sends a request to the closest DNS server to look up the IP address (numeric address)
from the domain name (alphanumeric address) and the DNS server sends the
information back to your browser, telling it the IP address of the computer the
browser needs to request the information from.

If the closest DNS server cannot resolve the query the Domain Name System passes
the request onto the next server and so on until the information is found and passed
back to the browser. If the information cannot be found on the DNS servers the
browser will display an error message that says the page cannot be displayed.

Each domain name is given an IP address to go to by creating or amending the DNS

settings of the domain name with a management tool. Normally this is with an online
control panel which allows DNS settings to be changed. These can be changed and
this information is distributed to all the DNS servers around the world, this is known
as propagation.

DNS Practice on Packet Tracer