Which term refers to a service that provides automatic IP configuration on a network?

• A. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• B. Dynamic IP
• C. Eavesdropping
• D. Error checking

Answer: (A)

Automatic IP configuration on a network is provided by a service that assigns IP addresses and related settings to clients without manual setup. This service is DHCP.

A DHCP server maintains a pool of IP addresses and can also supply other essential network information like the subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers. When a device connects, it requests an address; the server offers one, the device accepts, and the server leases that address for a certain period. The device automatically renews the lease as needed, keeping devices configured without ongoing administrator intervention. This automation helps prevent IP conflicts and makes managing large networks much easier.

The other terms don’t describe this automatic configuration service: a dynamic IP refers to an address that can change, which may result from DHCP but isn’t the service itself; eavesdropping is listening to network traffic; and error checking is about verifying data integrity.