A non-transitory computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon, that, when executed by one or more processors (320, 704) perform the operations of: receiving, at a first DHCP server, a discover message transmitted by a client, the discover message comprising an IP address lease request; preparing, at the first DHCP server, an offer message transaction, the offer message transaction comprising an IP address to be offered by the first DHCP server to the client, wherein the IP address is selected from a pool of IP addresses shared by a plurality of DHCP servers including the first DHCP server, characterized in that the plurality of DHCP servers form a blockchain network whereby each of the plurality of DHCP servers maintains a respective copy of a blockchain, the respective copy of the blockchain comprising a history of allocation of IP addresses from the pool by the plurality of DHCP servers to a plurality of clients; and the instructions, when executed by one or more processors (320, 704) perform the operations of: transmitting the offer message transaction from the first DHCP server to the blockchain network for validation, wherein the plurality of the DHCP servers of the blockchain network comes to a consensus that validates the offer message transaction and updates the blockchain with a block including the validated transaction; wherein a second server (300-1,300-3) of the plurality of servers validates the offer message transaction by verifying the offer message transaction against its respective copy of the blockchain to determine if the offered IP address is available for allocation; receiving, at the first DHCP server, a first block from the blockchain network, the first block comprising the validation of the offer message transaction that was transmitted to the blockchain network; updating, at the first DHCP server, its respective copy of the blockchain with the first block; and after updating its respective copy of the blockchain with the first block, transmitting, at the first DHCP server, to the client the offer message offering a lease of the IP address. receiving, at a first DHCP server, a discover message transmitted by a client, the discover message comprising an IP address lease request; preparing, at the first DHCP server, an offer message transaction, the offer message transaction comprising an IP address to be offered by the first DHCP server to the client, wherein the IP address is selected from a pool of IP addresses shared by a plurality of DHCP servers including the first DHCP server, characterized in that the plurality of DHCP servers form a blockchain network whereby each of the plurality of DHCP servers maintains a respective copy of a blockchain, the respective copy of the blockchain comprising a history of allocation of IP addresses from the pool by the plurality of DHCP servers to a plurality of clients; and the instructions, when executed by one or more processors (320, 704) perform the operations of: transmitting the offer message transaction from the first DHCP server to the blockchain network for validation, wherein the plurality of the DHCP servers of the blockchain network comes to a consensus that validates the offer message transaction and updates the blockchain with a block including the validated transaction; wherein a second server (300-1,300-3) of the plurality of servers validates the offer message transaction by verifying the offer message transaction against its respective copy of the blockchain to determine if the offered IP address is available for allocation; receiving, at the first DHCP server, a first block from the blockchain network, the first block comprising the validation of the offer message transaction that was transmitted to the blockchain network; updating, at the first DHCP server, its respective copy of the blockchain with the first block; and after updating its respective copy of the blockchain with the first block, transmitting, at the first DHCP server, to the client the offer message offering a lease of the IP address. transmitting the offer message transaction from the first DHCP server to the blockchain network for validation, wherein the plurality of the DHCP servers of the blockchain network comes to a consensus that validates the offer message transaction and updates the blockchain with a block including the validated transaction; wherein a second server (300-1,300-3) of the plurality of servers validates the offer message transaction by verifying the offer message transaction against its respective copy of the blockchain to determine if the offered IP address is available for allocation; receiving, at the first DHCP server, a first block from the blockchain network, the first block comprising the validation of the offer message transaction that was transmitted to the blockchain network; updating, at the first DHCP server, its respective copy of the blockchain with the first block; and after updating its respective copy of the blockchain with the first block, transmitting, at the first DHCP server, to the client the offer message offering a lease of the IP address.