Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Web Services offer significant
improvements to the management of Microsoft's DHCP server. The web
services utilize Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), providing an open and
standardized interface for DHCP server management, and implement the Web
Service Interoperability (WS-I) Basic Profile 1.1, a set of non-proprietary
web service specifications. This standardized communication protocol
allows network administrators and developers to manage Microsoft's DHCP
server, in ways not achievable with previous management tools provided by
Microsoft, or other outside sources, chiefly because the malleable nature of
the open framework allows users to form their own management tools, as they
see fit. The DHCP Web Services include two features innovative to
Microsoft's DHCP Server: an authorization model to control access of DHCP
server objects, and a search to query the DHCP server for client lease
information using regular expressions. Open management, authorization,
and search create a flexible and adaptable tool set for managing a DHCP
server, thus making it more appealing to large network environments with
complex needs.