Configuring DHCP

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The primary tool that you use to manage DHCP servers is DHCP Manager—a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) component that is added to the Administrative Tools menu when you install the DHCP service.

After you install a DHCP server, you can use DHCP Manager to:

  • Define scopes, superscopes, and multicast scopes, including exclusion and reservation ranges.

  • Activate scopes or superscopes.

  • Monitor scope leasing activity.

  • Define custom, default DHCP option types.

  • Configure user-defined or vendor-defined option classes.

  • Define other DHCP server properties, such as audit logging or BOOTP tables.

DHCP Manager also provides enhanced server performance monitoring, predefined DHCP option types, dynamic update support for clients using earlier versions of DHCP, and detection of unauthorized (rogue) DHCP servers on your network.

You can also define:

Enhanced Monitoring and Statistical Reporting    Enhanced monitoring and statistical reporting provide notification when the number of IP addresses available for lease is below a user-defined threshold. For example, an alert can be triggered when 90 percent of IP addresses in a particular scope have been assigned. A second alert can be triggered when the pool of IP addresses is exhausted.

User-Specified and Vendor-Specified Option Classes    The DHCP service for Windows 2000 allows user-specified and vendor-specified options to be defined as an alternative to the potentially lengthy process of obtaining IETF approval for a new standard option.

Integration of DHCP with DNS    DHCP servers can enable dynamic updates in the DNS namespace for any of its clients that support these updates. This feature allows scope clients to use dynamic updates to update their computer name–to–address mapping information (which is stored in zones on the DNS server) when changes occur to their DHCP-assigned address.

Rogue DHCP Server Detection    The DHCP service for Windows 2000 is designed to prevent rogue DHCP servers from creating address assignment conflicts. This solves problems that can occur because of unauthorized DHCP servers assigning improper or unintended IP addresses to clients elsewhere on the network.