3Com WX3000 operation manual Dhcp Relay Agent Configuration, Introduction to Dhcp Relay Agent

2 DHCP Relay Agent Configuration

When configuring the DHCP relay agent, go to these sections for information you are interested in:

zIntroduction to DHCP Relay Agent

zConfiguring the DHCP Relay Agent

zDisplaying and Maintaining DHCP Relay Agent Configuration

zDHCP Relay Agent Configuration Example

zTroubleshooting DHCP Relay Agent Configuration

Currently, the interface-related DHCP relay agent configurations can only be made on VLAN interfaces.

Introduction to DHCP Relay Agent

Usage of DHCP Relay Agent

Since the packets are broadcasted in the process of obtaining IP addresses, DHCP is only applicable to the situation that DHCP clients and DHCP servers are in the same network segment, that is, you need to deploy at least one DHCP server for each network segment, which is far from economical.

DHCP relay agent is designed to address this problem. It enables DHCP clients in a subnet to communicate with the DHCP server in another subnet so that the DHCP clients can obtain IP addresses. In this case, the DHCP clients in multiple networks can use the same DHCP server, which can decrease your cost and provide a centralized administration.

DHCP Relay Agent Fundamentals

Figure 2-1 illustrates a typical DHCP relay agent application.

2-1