A host on a TCP/IP internetwork that is capable of having its IP address information dynamically assigned using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). The term «DHCP client» can also describe the software component on a computer that is capable of interacting with a DHCP server to lease an IP address.
Microsoft Windows comes with DHCP client software that you can configure when you install the TCP/IP protocol suite. This software allows a machine to immediately take its place in TCP/IP internetworks using DHCP. Other operating systems might require that the DHCP client software be installed and configured separately.
Microsoft operating systems that can function as DHCP clients include the following:
On machines running Windows 2000, the DHCP client is DNS-aware and uses dynamic update for registering addresses, which allows the IP address and fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of client machines to be assigned and supported together.
Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 clients can release and renew their IP address leases using the ipconfig command. This command can also be useful for resolving IP address conflicts or for troubleshooting DHCP clients and servers.