Migrating Existing DHCP Servers

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

If you already have a working DHCP infrastructure on your network, you can migrate your DHCP database and server configuration from your existing servers to new Windows Server 2003–based servers. Migrating can save you time because you do not need to reconfigure the scope, lease, and option information on the new server.

Before migrating the database, create a backup of your working configuration, and test the migration procedures in a lab environment.

The following procedures migrate lease, scope, and option information, including reservations and exclusions. If you have changed any registry settings from their defaults on the existing server, you must manually make these changes on the new Windows Server 2003–based server for them to take effect.

Caution