The Client Network

A Client-Server network connects a group of devices to a DHCP server, forming a LAN. The DHCP server controls the network and resolves all addressing requirements. It allocates a range of IP Addresses, so that each device connected to the network has a unique IP Address for that network.


Alongside a DHCP server, there may be another server providing internet connection sharing (ICS) functionality allowing each of the LAN devices to connect to the wide area network (WAN). Depending on requirements of the network, these two different servers may co-exist on the same hardware server.

A big advantage of the client-server network is the fact that the configuration of the network is centralised.

A limitation of the client-server network is the availability of servers that control the network. If for some reason a DHCP server is taken off-line, then the network it controls is effectively also out of action.