Plan for DHCP

There are several steps you must take to plan how DHCP should be set up for your network.

Setting up DHCP can be a time-consuming and error-prone process if you have not taken the time to plan how your DHCP server should be configured. By taking time to think about your network setup and security concerns in advance, you can configure your DHCP server more efficiently. The following topics pose some important questions that you should consider before you configure DHCP in your network.

Network topology considerations
You can plan for the majority of the DHCP setup just by looking at your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you want to support your clients in DHCP.
Security considerations
The DHCP protocol is not capable of verifying that clients requesting IP addresses are authorized to do so. Because of the nature of DHCP's interaction to the network, it is important that you secure your iSeries™ server from outside clients. If your DHCP server is on an iSeries server that is part of a trusted internal network, you might be able to use Packet rules (filtering and NAT) to further secure it from any unauthorized parties. If your DHCP server is on an iSeries server that is attached to an untrusted network, such as the Internet, refer to iSeries and Internet security. For more security references, see the Security topic in the information center.
Related concepts
Packet rules (filtering and NAT)
iSeries and Internet security
Security
Related tasks
Troubleshoot DHCP
Related reference
Configure DHCP