Windows Setup 79NETWORK PRINTINGSDynamic Host Configuration ProtocolDynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows automatic assignment of IP address and other IP parametersfor attached devices. The NIC works with DHCP in the following way.At power-up, the NIC broadcasts a DHCP request for an IP address. If a DHCP server is present, the request willbe processed, and an IP address will be returned to the NIC. Upon receipt of the IP address, the NIC resets, andprints a Network Settings page. This shows the new IP address (and subnet mask, and default gateway, if any).Under factory default settings, once an IP address has been assigned to it, the NIC will no longer broadcast DHCP requests.Therefore, NIC IP address assignment with DHCP will only work when the NIC does not have an existing IP address.The DHCP server may grant a temporary IP address, called a temporary lease or temporary reservation, whichexpires later, or may grant a permanent or unlimited lease or reservation which does not expire.Devices that are granted a temporary lease will be notified before the lease expires and asked if they would like toextend the lease. The NIC will continue extending its lease indefinitely (unless prohibited by your DHCP serverconfiguration), and thus maintain a consistent IP address.Important: If the NIC is not turned on or is not connected to the network when the DHCP server is sending requests toextend the lease, the lease will not be extended. The DHCP server will cancel the lease and may assign the IP address toanother device. Therefore, it is highly recommended to explicitly specify the NIC lease as permanent or unlimited in yourDHCP server configuration.DHCP Settings in the NIC Configuration MenuYou can control the way the NIC handles DHCP from the Network Administration Page. To go there,1. Enter this URLhttp:///configure.html.For example,http://155.100.100.2/configure.html.2. Under Protocols, click Setup TCP/IP. The two DHCP Settings are shown here.The factory default is that both settings are checked.If there is not an IP address already stored in NVRAM, the NIC will make a DHCP request. If there is an IPaddress, it will not.When Enable DHCP is not checked, the NIC will not make DHCP requests.When IP Address in NVRAM is not checked, the NIC will always make a new DHCP address request atstartup, regardless of whether or not it has an IP address stored in NVRAM.