A DHCP client is a network device using DHCP service to obtain network cofiguration parameters such as an IP address from a DHCP server. When a DHCP client sends a broadcast message to locate a DHCP server, the DHCP server provides configuration parameters (IP address, MAC address, domain name, and a lease for the IP address) to the client.
Enabling a DHCP IPv4 address allows the device to automatically acquire an IPv4 address for a specific physical adapter from a DHCP server. The physical adapter is assigned an IP address by the DHCP server for a predefined lease time.
For details on obtaining a DHCP provided IP address, see Configuring IPv4 Settings.
Virtual switches allow virtual machines to obtain IP-related configurations automatically from an external DHCP server. The virtual switch obtains the IP address from the DHCP server through the connected physical adapter on the device.
A virtual switch configured with an automatic DHCP IP address cannot utilize the NAT and DHCP server functions.
Virtual switches cannot automatically acquire the IP address of the physical adapter unless the virtual switch has been configured to connect to a physical adapter in .