National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) Business Practice Exam

What happens first when a DHCP client boots up?

1. It assigns itself a private IP address

2. It looks for a DHCP server to obtain an IP address

3. It connects directly to the internet

4. It initializes all network applications

The correct answer is: It looks for a DHCP server to obtain an IP address

When a DHCP client boots up, the first action it takes is to look for a DHCP server to obtain an IP address. This process is a fundamental part of how Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) operates, ensuring that devices on a network can communicate effectively without manual IP addressing. Upon booting, the client does not have a valid IP address for the network, and therefore, it initiates a DHCP discovery process. This involves broadcasting a request across the network to locate a DHCP server. The importance of this step lies in the fact that the client relies on the DHCP server to provide a dynamically assigned IP address, along with other network configuration details such as subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server addresses. The other choices represent actions that typically occur after the DHCP client has successfully communicated with a DHCP server. Assigning itself a private IP address could happen if the client fails to find a DHCP server, which would then lead it to utilize Auto-Configuration (APIPA). Connecting directly to the internet presumes that the client has already obtained a valid IP address and other configurations from a DHCP server, which is not the case during the boot-up stage. Similarly, initializing all network applications would occur post network configuration and connectivity. Thus, the