Recipe14.1.Installing DHCP Server

Recipe 14.1. Installing DHCP Server

Problem

You want to install the DHCP Server service.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

1. From the Control Panel, open the Add or Remove Programs applet.

2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.

3. Double-click Network Services.

4. Check the box beside Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

5. Click OK.

6. Click Next.

7. Click Finish.

You can also install DHCP Server from the Manage Your Server wizard.

Using a command-line interface

First, create a file using a text editor such as Notepad with the following contents:

[netoptionalcomponents] dhcpserver=1

Next, use the sysocmgr.exe utility with the following parameters (assuming the file you just created is named c:\dhcp_install.txt):

> sysocmgr /i:%windir%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:c:\dhcp_install.txt

Using VBScript

Unfortunately, there aren't any scripting APIs for installing the DHCP Server. One option would be to run the sysocmgr command from within a script.

Discussion

The DHCP Server service is an optional Windows Component, so you can install it using the Add or Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. There are no configuration options when you install the DHCP Server, so installation is a breeze. After you've installed the service, you'll need to authorize the server, if you have an Active Directory environment, as described in Recipe 14.2.

If the server you installed DHCP on is multihomed (i.e., has multiple active network adapters), you'll want to make sure the correct network adapters are enabled for use by the DHCP Server. You can enable or disable adapters for use by DHCP Server by doing the following:

1. Open the DHCP snap-in.

2. In the left pane, click on the server node.

3. From the menu, select Action

   Select the Advanced tab.

4. Click the Bindings button.

5. Make sure the interfaces where the DHCP Server should respond are checked.

6. Click OK until all dialog boxes are closed.

DHCP-enabled interfaces (from a client perspective) will not show up in the list of available interfaces; the DHCP Server will use only interfaces that have statically assigned IP addresses.

See Also

Recipe 2.4 and Recipe 14.2