Using DHCP with computers that move

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) was designed to allow the frequent allocation of resources and configuration information useful to Internet hosts at boot time, including Internet addresses in particular. It turns out that getting a new Internet address is crucial to the problem of enabling the movement of Internet hosts from one network to another, and thus DHCP is quite relevant to the problem of providing seamless, transparent mobility to Internet hosts. We decided to investigate the ways that DHCP could be of assistance in this regard. Since the DHCP protocol was not itself designed for the purpose of providing host mobility, a number of problems arise. Our experience with deploying DHCP, and our proposed mechanisms for the use of DHCP with mobile computers, are the subjects of this paper.