What transport protocol does DHCP utilize?

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as its transport protocol. The reason for using UDP is that DHCP is designed to be a lightweight protocol that facilitates the assignment of IP addresses and configuration settings to devices on a network. UDP is a connectionless protocol, which means it allows for faster transmission without the overhead of establishing a connection, making it suitable for the quick request-response nature of DHCP operations.

Specifically, DHCP operates over UDP using port 67 for the server and port 68 for the client. This allows client devices to send packets to the server without requiring a prior handshake, enabling rapid deployments of network configurations. This efficiency is vital in environments where devices frequently connect and disconnect from the network.

The other transport protocols listed are not suitable for the design and functioning of DHCP. TCP, which is connection-oriented, would introduce unnecessary overhead for the simple task of lease requests and responses. SCTP is also a connection-oriented protocol that is used in more complex situations, while ICMP is primarily used for error reporting and diagnostic functions within IP networks, such as in ping operations and not suited for carrying DHCP messages.