If you run a small business network, you may need to configure a DHCP scope to assign IP addresses to your devices automatically. A DHCP scope is a range of IP addresses that a DHCP server can distribute to clients on a specific subnet. In this article, you will learn how to configure a DHCP scope for a small business network using Windows Server 2019.
DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It is a network service that allows clients to obtain IP addresses and other network settings from a server without manual intervention. DHCP simplifies network management and reduces configuration errors. A DHCP server can assign IP addresses from one or more scopes, depending on the network topology and requirements.
To configure DHCP follow the below mentioned steps. 1-A range of IP addresses from which to include or exclude addresses used for DHCP service lease offerings. 2-A subnet mask, which determines the subnet for a specific IP address. 3-A scope name. 4-Lease duration values, which are assigned to DHCP clients that receive dynamically allocated IP addresses. 5-Any DHCP scope options configured for assignment to DHCP clients, such as Domain Name System (DNS) server, router IP address, and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) server address. 6-Reservations, optionally used to ensure that a DHCP client always receives the same IP address.
To configure a DHCP scope on your Windows Server 2019 machine, you must first install the DHCP server role. To do this, open Server Manager and click on Manage > Add Roles and Features. On the Before You Begin page, click Next. Then, select Role-based or feature-based installation on the Select installation type page and click Next. After that, select your server from the server pool on the Select destination server page and click Next. On the Select server roles page, check the box for DHCP Server and click Next. On the Select features page, click Next again. Confirm the installation selections on the Confirm installation selections page and click Install. Finally, wait for the installation to complete on the Installation progress page before clicking Close.
Once you have installed the DHCP server role, you need to create a DHCP scope for your small business network. To do this, open Server Manager and click on Tools > DHCP. In the DHCP console, expand your server name and right-click on IPv4. Then, select New Scope. On the Welcome to the New Scope Wizard page, click Next. On the Scope Name page, enter a name and a description for your scope and click Next. On the IP Address Range page, enter the start IP address and the end IP address for your scope with their respective subnet mask and subnet type. Additionally, you can add any IP addresses that you want to exclude from the scope on the Add Exclusions and Delay page. On the Lease Duration page, you can specify how long the DHCP server will lease an IP address to a client. Finally, on the Configure DHCP Options page, you can choose whether to configure additional options for your scope or not. Once you have reviewed your scope settings on the Completing the New Scope Wizard page, click Finish to complete the process.
Once you have created a DHCP scope, you need to activate it to make it available for clients. To do this, open the DHCP console, expand your server name and IPv4, right-click on your scope, and select Activate. Wait for the activation process to be completed and verify that the scope icon has changed from red to green.
To ensure your DHCP scope is functioning correctly, you can use several tools. In the DHCP console, you can view the scope statistics such as the number of addresses in use, available addresses and utilization percentage. Additionally, you can view the list of leases assigned to clients by expanding your scope and clicking Address Leases. On a client device, you can use the ipconfig command to check the IP address and other network settings that have been provided by the DHCP server. To do this, open a command prompt and type ipconfig /all. This should display the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server that match your scope configuration.
If you need to change any settings of your DHCP scope, you can use the following steps. In the DHCP console, right-click on your scope and select Properties. On the General tab, you can modify the name, description, IP address range, subnet mask, and lease duration of your scope. After making changes, click Apply. On the Scope Options tab, you can add, edit, or delete any options for your scope such as the default gateway, DNS server, and WINS server. Once again after making changes, click OK.
One thing to consider when creating your DHCP scopes is that you should create an IP plan first. This will not only allow you to accommodate growth i.e segment your network by departments. Maintain contiguous blocks with large enough subnets. It will also allow you to do it with minimal or no changes. Another benefit of IP plans is to be able to add granular security as you go along. So the deployment of the DHCP server with proper scopes should be done with some thought behind it and growth in mind, especially for small businesses.
Once you finish initial configuration, you may want to create a backup of the DHCP Database by running the Backup-DhcpServer PowerShell cmdlet. Also, if you have more than one DHCP server, you can configure a DHCP server failover relationship for a particular scope. To do this, go to the DHCP console, right-click the DHCP scope you want to set up for failover, and then click Configure Failover... The Configure Failover wizard should appear and guides you through the process of configuring a failover relationship.