Recipe14.13.Modifying the DHCP Database and Audit Log Paths

Recipe 14.13. Modifying the DHCP Database and Audit Log Paths

Problem

You want to move the DHCP database or audit logs from the default location (%SystemRoot%\system32\dhcp) to another directory or filesystem.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

1. Open the DHCP snap-in.

2. In the left pane, right-click on DHCP and select Add Server.

3. Type in the name of the DHCP Server you want to target and click OK.

4. Right-click the server node and select Properties.

5. Click the Advanced tab.

6. Modify the audit file or database path as needed and click OK.

Using a command-line interface

The following command sets the database path to d:\dhcp:

> netsh dhcp server set databasepath d:\dhcp

The following command sets the audit log file path to d:\dhcp\logs:

> netsh dhcp server set auditlog d:\dhcp\logs

Using VBScript

See the Introduction for more information on how to run the netsh command from within a script.

Discussion

Based on your disk configuration, the default location for the DHCP Server database and audit logs may not be sufficient. In any case, you are better off moving these paths off of the system drive, especially if you have multiple disks on the server. In a high-load scenario, disk access to the DHCP database can have an impact on DHCP response times. If you can move the database and logs to a separate disk, the DHCP Server won't compete with the operating system to access the filesystem.

By default, the DHCP database is named dhcp.mdb. You can change this too if necessary, although not by using the DHCP snap-in. Use the following command to change the name of the database to rallencorp-dhcp.mdb:

> netsh dhcp server set databasename rallencorp-dhcp.mdb

After modifying the database or audit log paths or the database name, you have to restart the DHCP Server service for the changes to take effect.

See Also

Recipe 14.12