At a minimum, you need to specify a unique IP address for every computer and a netmask to identify which portion of the IP address identifies the network which portion identifies a specific host. DHCP was created to fill this need. Another big advantage of DHCP comes with renumbering IP addresses. The possible options include hostname , domain name , WINS servers , static routes and so on. Make sure that the DHCP server is supplying options that are useful to DHCP clients.
Most operating systems can act as a DHCP clients.
These include Microsoft Windows NT, Windows95, Windows 3.11, Apple Macintoshes running Open Transport and Suns running Solaris. There are also multiple DHCP servers available, some as part of the operating system, some as part of router software and a few third party add-ons. The Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 includes a DHCP server as part of the base operating system. The DHCP server is installed by using the Add button in the Services tab of the Network control panel. This will install the DHCP server, which will be started automatically every time the system boots.