The exact steps that you should follow when configuring and managing a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server depend on the network operating system that you’re using. The following procedures show you how to work with a DHCP server in Windows Server 2008. The procedures for other operating systems are similar.
To install the DHCP server role on Windows Server 2008, follow these steps:
Choose Start→Administrative Tools→Server Manager.
The Manage Your Server application appears.
Click the Roles link and then click Add a Role.
The Add Roles Wizard appears.
Click Next to get the wizard started.
The wizard displays a list of available server roles.
Select DHCP Server from the list of roles and then click Next.
The wizard displays an explanation of DHCP.
Click Next.
The wizard displays a list of the server’s network connections that have static IP addresses, as shown in the following illustration. (In this example, only one network connection has a static IP address assigned. Most network servers will have at least two.)
Select the static IP addresses you want to use for the DHCP server. Then click Next.
The wizard asks for the DNS configuration information, as shown below.
Enter the domain name and DNS servers. To enter a DNS server, type its address in the IP address text box and then click Add.
You typically have more than one DNS server.
Click Next.
The wizard next asks for the WINS configuration information.
(Optional) If you want to enable WINS, enter the WINS server configuration and then click Next.
If you don’t want to use WINS, skip this step and just click Next.
Either way, the next screen lets you configure scopes.
To create a new scope, click the Add Scope button.
The wizard asks for a name and description for the new scope, as shown below.
Enter the information for the new scope.
You must enter the following information:
Scope Name: The name can be anything you want. Use a generic name such as Office or your company name unless you’re creating two or more scopes. Then, the names should indicate the function of each scope.
Scope Starting IP Address: This is the lowest IP address that will be issued for this scope.
Scope Ending IP Address: This is the highest IP address that will be issued for this scope.
Subnet Mask: This is the subnet mask issued for IP addresses in this scope.
Default Gateway: This is the default gateway address that will be used for this scope. This is usually the address of your router.
Subnet type: Choose Wired or Wireless. The difference is how long the IP address will be valid. For wired networks, the addresses will be valid for six days. For wireless networks, the addresses will expire in eight hours.
Select the Activate This Scope check box and then Click OK.
The scope is created, as shown below.
If you want to create additional scopes, repeat steps 10–12.
You can create as many scopes as you want for your DHCP server.
When you finish creating scopes, click Next.
The wizard asks whether you want to enable stateless mode, which is used for IPv6. Disable this mode unless dealing with IPv6 clients is important to your network.
Click Next.
The wizard asks for the credentials to use when creating this DHCP server. The default is to use your current login credentials.
Click Next.
The wizard displays a confirmation screen that summarizes the settings you’ve entered for the DHCP server.
Click Install.
The DHCP server is created. This might take a few minutes. When the server is finished, a final results page is displayed to confirm that the server was properly installed.
Click Close.
You’re done!