Networking: DNS & DHCP

Understanding how devices obtain IP addresses and how domain names are resolved.

Table of contents

1. Introduction to Network Services
2. DNS Overview
3. DHCP Overview
4. Why These Services Matter
   1. Without DNS
   2. Without DHCP
5. Hands-On Practice
6. Common Issues and Solutions
   1. DNS Issues
   2. DHCP Issues
7. Next Steps
8. Additional Resources

Introduction to Network Services

Modern networks rely on two crucial services to function properly:

• DNS (Domain Name System): Converts human-readable domain names to IP addresses
• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol): Automatically assigns network configuration to devices

❗ Key Concept

Think of DNS as the internet's phone book and DHCP as the hotel front desk that assigns room numbers to guests.

DNS Overview

How DNS resolves domain names to IP addresses

DNS is responsible for:

• Converting domain names (like google.com) to IP addresses
• Storing and distributing website location information
• Enabling global access to websites using memorable names

Learn more about DNS

DHCP Overview

The DHCP process for obtaining network configuration

DHCP handles:

• Automatic IP address assignment
• Network configuration distribution
• IP address management and lease time
• Conflict prevention in network addressing

Learn more about DHCP

Why These Services Matter

Without DNS

• You’d need to remember IP addresses for every website
• No easy way to change server locations
• Difficult to manage web services

Without DHCP

• Manual network configuration required
• Higher chance of address conflicts
• More complex network management
• Difficult to move between networks

Hands-On Practice

Try these commands to see DNS and DHCP in action:

# View your DHCP-assigned IP configuration
ipconfig /all

# Look up DNS information for a domain
nslookup google.com

💡 Practice Tip

Try these commands on your computer to see your actual network configuration and DNS resolution in action.

Common Issues and Solutions

DNS Issues

• Cannot resolve website names
• Slow website loading
• “DNS Server Not Responding” errors

DHCP Issues

• “No Valid IP Configuration”
• Limited or no network access
• IP address conflicts

Next Steps

1. Start with DNS Basics to understand how domain names work
2. Continue to DHCP Basics to learn about network configuration
3. Try the hands-on exercises in each section

Additional Resources

• Network troubleshooting guide
• Common networking commands
• Command Cheatsheet

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Table of contents

• DNS Basics
• DHCP Basics