DHCPv4/v6 Relay Application

Earlier versions of DHCP can be used only when the DHCP client and server reside on the same network segment. To dynamically assign IP addresses to hosts on network segments, the network administrator must configure a DHCP server on each network segment, which increases costs. The DHCP relay function solves this problem.

Figure 1 illustrates the DHCP relay application. A DHCP client can apply for an IP address from a DHCP server on another network segment through a DHCP relay agent. This function enables a single DHCP server to serve DHCP clients on different network segments, which reduces costs and facilitates centralized management.

Figure 1 DHCP relay networking

DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 relay applications are the same. The DHCP relay application described in this section covers both DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 relay. However, DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 relay cannot be used in the current version at the same time.