Overview
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network management protocol used on Internet Protocol (IP) networks for automatically assigning IP addresses and other communication parameters to devices connected to the network using a client–server architecture.
Related Tools
Comparison
| Feature | Pi-hole | NetBox | phpIPAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Role | DNS Sinkhole (Ad-blocker) | IPAM & DCIM (Source of Truth) | IPAM (IP Address Management) |
| DHCP Server | Yes (Built-in dnsmasq) | No (Docs/Modeling only) | No (Manager only, needs Ext. Server) |
| Target Audience | Home / Small Office | Enterprise / Network Engineers | Sysadmins / IT Teams |
| Key Use Case | Blocking ads & basic network management | Modeling network infrastructure & automation source | Tracking IP usage & subnet allocation |
NOTE:
- Why the table says “No” for DHCP Server:
- phpIPAM itself is just a database (a web app). It does not listen on the network to answer DHCP requests from computers booting up.
- To actually give that IP to a device via DHCP, you usually need a separate service (like Kea DHCP) that reads the data from phpIPAM.
Proxmox Integration
Proxmox VE (PVE) (specifically the SDN feature) supports NetBox and phpIPAM as external IPAM plugins.
- Role: Proxmox queries these tools to find/reserve available IPs when creating VMs or Containers.
- DHCP Note: While Proxmox uses them to find an IP, the actual assignment to the VM is usually handled by Proxmox’s internal configuration (Cloud-Init) or a separate DHCP server on the network that might sync with the IPAM data.
DHCP Client Commands (Linux)
Common commands for managing the DHCP client on Linux systems (using dhclient).
Release current IP
sudo dhclient -rRenew / Obtain fresh lease
sudo dhclient