DHCPga

DHCPga is a proposed extension to the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) intended to provide global availability of DHCP services across large, distributed networks. In theoretical discussions and planning documents, DHCPga envisions multiple DHCP servers sharing a globally consistent lease database so that a client can obtain or renew an IP address from any local server while remaining coordinated with the rest of the system.

Key concepts include cross-site lease coordination, fast failover, and seamless mobility. The architecture generally relies on a replicated lease store and a coordination layer that uses a consensus mechanism to ensure lease uniqueness and prevent conflicts. DHCPga supports both DHCPv4 and DHCPv6, with address pools and options partitioned by scope but synchronized across the server set. Clients still use standard DHCP discovery and request messages, while relay agents direct traffic to accessible servers in the same or neighboring networks.

Benefits include improved resilience against single-server failures, simplified mobility across subnets, and more predictable lease management in environments with thousands of clients. Challenges include increased complexity, latency for lease state replication, potential consistency windows, and the need for new management tooling and security controls. Because DHCPga is not part of any official DHCP standard, deployments would require careful design to interoperate with existing DHCP clients and infrastructure, and would typically be limited to pilots or large-scale data-center or service-provider environments.

Status and adoption: as of now, DHCPga remains a concept addressed in theoretical and vendor-specific discussions rather than a published standard. Interest centers on data-center orchestration, disaster recovery, and multi-site campus networks. See also DHCP, DHCPv4, DHCPv6, and high-availability distributed services.