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Networking Fundamentals · Foundational

DORA Process

The four-message DHCP exchange: Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge.

Definition

The client broadcasts a Discover, servers respond with Offers, the client broadcasts a Request for one offer (which informs other servers), and the chosen server sends an Acknowledgment. Renewals skip Discover and Offer and are unicast to the leasing server.

Example

A Wireshark capture filtered on dhcp shows Discover, Offer, Request and ACK in order.

Exam tip

Discover and Request are broadcast; a DHCPNAK forces the client to start over.

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