Patent ID: 8125993

Claim:
A method in a network element to handle Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) lease time on behalf of a DHCP server coupled to the network element, comprising the steps of: receiving a client request for an IP address for a first amount of lease time; requesting, on behalf of said client, an IP address from the DHCP server for an amount of lease time greater than said first amount of lease time; receiving, from the DHCP server, a message indicating an allocated IP address for the amount of time requested by the network element which is greater than the first amount of lease time; transmitting a reply to the client with the allocated IP address for the first amount of lease time; receiving a renewal request from the client for said allocated IP address for a second amount of lease time; determining that the time remaining on the amount of lease time allocated by the DHCP server for the allocated IP address is greater than the second amount of lease time; and, transmitting a reply to the client acknowledging the renewal of the IP address for the second amount of lease time without involving the DHCP server, whereby traffic overhead on the DHCP server is reduced due to DHCP renewal service being provided without a renewal request being transmitted to the DHCP server.