Method and apparatus for processing dynamic host configuration protocol message

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for processing a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) message, which receiving a DHCP request message forwarded by a first switching endpoint to which a source virtual machine belongs, wherein the DHCP request message carries an identifier of a virtual local area network to which the source virtual machine belongs; based on the identifier of the virtual local area network to which the source virtual machine belongs, determining an IP address of a DHCP service node that serves the source virtual machine; based on the determined IP address of the DHCP service node, determining an IP address of a second switching endpoint to which the DHCP service node belongs; and sending a forwarding instruction to the first switching endpoint, wherein the forwarding instruction carries the IP address of the second switching endpoint so as to enable the first switching endpoint to send the DHCP request message to the second switching endpoint in a unicast form based on the IP address of the second switching endpoint. According to the present invention, a switching endpoint of a target virtual machine can be determined in the unicast form, reducing network traffic usage in the virtual local area network and saving a network resource.