How to Setup and Configure DHCP on Windows Server 2016?

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a client/server protocol that automatically provides an Internet Protocol (IP) host with its IP address and other related configuration information such as the subnet mask and default gateway.

RFCs 2131 and 2132 define DHCP as an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard based on Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP), a protocol with which DHCP shares many implementation details. DHCP allows hosts to obtain necessary TCP/IP configuration information from a DHCP server.

How to setup DHCP role on Microsoft Windows Server 2016. We will be setting up this new server to be our network’s DHCP server, managing IP addresses by handing them out to DHCP clients that come up on the network as well as DHCP reservations to devices such as printers.

So far we have downloaded Server 2016, installed Server 2016, setup Active Directory Domain Services, configured OUs (Organizational Units), and created Users and Groups.

One quick notice: You don’t want more than one DHCP server on the same network (it would be considered that you would have a rogue DHCP server on the network), so make sure you disable the role in Virtualbox (assuming you are using Virtualbox like I am here in this tutorial). Sure, you can do some advanced things such as having a backup DHCP server, but for just starting out, stick with one.

1. From Server Manager Dashboard, click on “Add roles and features

2. Select Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.

3. Select the server from “Server Pool”, then click Next.

4. check “DHCP Server” role, and click “Add Features”, and click “Next”

5. Click “Next” as usual with this page

7. Make sure to check “Restart the destination server automatically if required” then click Install.

8. after the server restart, open server manager and you will notice “a yellow exclamation mark triangle”, click on it and then click Complete DHCP configuration

9. on this stage click “Next”

10. on this stage click “Commit”

11. From Server Manager Dashboard, click on Tools in the upper-right, then DHCP to launch the DHCP MMC.

12. Expand DHCP | “server name”.Avoiderrors.net | IPv4, Right-click Server Options and click Configure Options.

13. check “003 Router” and type your router IP address by default on the most of the routers it’s “192.168.1.1”, and click “Add”

14. Check “006 DNS Servers” and type the server’s IP address in the IP address field (we already set up a DNS server when we installed the AD role), for me, I will type the public DNS of google “8.8.8.8”, then I will click Add, and “OK”

15. now let’s create a special scope, right click on “IPv4” and select a new scope

16. after you click on new scope and then next, give it a name for example “AvoidErrors-Scope”

17. Enter the IP Address Range (start and end) and the correct Subnet mask, then click Next. “This is the range of IP addresses the server will hand out to DHCP clients that come up on the network”.

18. Leave Exclusions and Delay empty if you are not planning to, then click Next.

19. Click Next for Lease Duration, “Leave as it’s default, it’s better”

20. after you click “Next”, then select Yes, I want to configure these options now, then click Next

21. on this stage of the wizard enter the router’s IP again (remember, this is the same as the server’s current gateway address), then click Next

22. And the DNS server IP should already be filled in (our google DNS), click Next

23 leave this stage of wizard like it’s (Blank) as we are not planning on using WINS, click Next.

24. The wizard will prompt if you want to active this scope now or later, Select Yes, I want to activate this scope now, then click Next, and Finish

25. Now your scope is configured and activated

That’s it! DHCP is configured on your brand new server and ready to be used. Again, make sure you disable any other DHCP servers that are on the same network as this DHCP server. You do not want more than one DHCP server on a network.

Miguel

I started this tech blog back in 2011 as a place to write down processes I took to fix my client systems and network. Now I write some tips and tricks to help others with the tech issues that one might encounter.

You may also like...