| 8.5 |  | PIX Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) |
| 8.5.2 |  | DHCP server |

| DHCP process DHCP communication consists of several broadcast messages passed between the DHCP client and DHCP server. The following events occur during this exchange :

1. The client broadcasts a DHCPDISCOVER message on its local physical subnet to locate available DHCP servers.
2. Any reachable DHCP server may respond with a DHCPOFFER message that includes an available network address and other configuration parameters.
3. Based on the configuration parameters offered in the DHCPOFFER messages, the client chooses one server from which to request configuration parameters. The client broadcasts a DHCPREQUEST message requesting the offered parameters from one server and implicitly declining offers from all others.
4. The server selected in the DHCPREQUEST message responds with a DHCPACK message containing the configuration parameters for the requesting client. If the selected server has since become unable to satisfy the DHCPREQUEST, for instance if the requested network address has already been allocated, the server responds with a DHCPNAK message. The client receives either the DHCPNAK or the DHCPACK containing the configuration parameters.