DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. DHCP is used to provide IP addresses to various hosts (computers) or client machines present in a network. DORA is nothing but a sequence of messages that are exchanged between a DHCP server and a client. The full form of DORA is something like Discover Offer Request acknowledgment
The process used to obtain an IP Address using DHCP is referred to as DORA
As you can see in the image above, any DHCP client first broadcasts a DHCP broadcast packet in the network, and then the DHCP server sends an offer message to that client, then the client requests an IP address. And after providing the DHCP server IP address in the last, the client computer receives an acknowledgment that it has found the setting of IP address and network configuration.
DHCP Discovery Message
This is the first message sent by a DHCP client to search for a DHCP server in the network. This message is broadcast on the network and data link layer.
DHCP Offer Message
The DHCP server sends the DHCP offer message to the DHCP client. In this message, the DHCP server provides an IP address to the DHCP client. This message is Unicast on the data link layer but is broadcast on the network layer.
DHCP Request Message
This message is sent from the DHCP client to the DHCP server. In this message, the DHCP client requests the DHCP server for the requested IP address. This message is Unicast on the data link layer but is broadcast on the network layer.
DHCP Acknowledgment Message
This is the last message of the DHCP DORA process. The DHCP server sends this message to the DHCP client. This message is Unicast on the data link layer but is broadcast on the network layer.
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