Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is intended to simplify (through autoconfiguration) the task of TCP/IP assignment. DHCP is used for dynamic configuration of the TCP/IP protocol on computers in a local network. In order to establish functional Internet communication, TCP/IP must be properly configured on each workstation within the local network. The necessary TCP/IP parameters include:

IP address (e.g. 192.168.10.2) - This value uniquely identifies a computer within a Local Area Network.

Network mask (e.g. 255.255.255.0) - This value is combined with the IP address to determine the group of IP addresses to which the computer belongs. In the provided example, computers having IP addresses of 192.168.10.1-192.168.10.254 are all in the same group or IP subnet.

Default gateway (e.g. 192.168.10.1) - This is the IP address of a router (i.e. WinRoute) who is responsible for forwarding packets to the correct destination address. When a workstation wants to establish communication with a computer outside of its local IP subnet (i.e. an unknown address) is sends the packet to its default gateway or router.

DNS server (e.g. 192.168.10.1) - This is the IP address of a server that is able to translate names (e.g. www.kerio.com) into an IP address. WinRoute Lite has a built-in DNS proxy that will take requests from the local network and forward them to the correct DNS servers assigned by your Internet Service Provider.

Before you can enable WinRoute's DHCP server on your LAN interface you must have TCP/IP properly configured. If you do not, WinRoute will not allow you to enable DHCP on that interface until you've configured an IP address and subnet mask. For configuration of IP addresses refer to section 'Configure TCP/IP'.