With the DHCP service no longer in the Server apps provided by Apple (for the most part), it’s important to look at alternative solutions to host the service. The DHCP Service in Windows Server is a Role that a Windows Server can fill that dynamically assigns IP addresses to client computers requesting addresses. The DHCP Role is easily added using the Server Manager application, available in the Administrative Tools menu of the Start Menu. Once opened, click on the Add Roles button.
At the Select Server Roles screen, locate DHCP Server and then check the box for it, which will allow you to click on the Next button.
At the DHCP Server screen, click on Next.
At the Select Network Connection Bindings screen, check the box for each network interface that will be available to DHCP to host DHCP scopes (a scope being a range of addresses that the server will host. Click on Next.
At the Specify IPv4 DNS Server Settings screen, enter the name of the search domain to be assigned in the “Parent domain” field. Then provide the ip address for the first DNS server that is provided to clients in the “Preferred DNS server IPv4 address” field. Click on Next once the appropriate DNS information has been provided.
If you are using “WINS servers click on WINS is required for applications on this network” and then click on the Next button.
At the “Add or Edit DHCP Scopes” screen, click on the Add… button to provide the first DHCP scope for the environment.
At the Add Scope screen, enter the following information:
- Scope name: A friendly name for the DHCP scope (e.g. Marketing Subnet)
- Starting IP address: The first IP address in the scope of addresses provided
- Ending IP address: The last IP address in the scope of addresses provided (note that you cannot overlap pools and that
- Subnet type: Select a type of scope being created (note that this changes the lease times)
- Activate this scope: Check this box to make the scope available immediately
- Subnet mask: The subnet mask used by clients of the scope
- Default gateway: The router for the scope being created
Once you’re satisfied with your settings, click OK. Next, select whether DHCP will be provided for IPv6 and click on Next.
If IPv6 is supported, enter the address of an IPv6 based DNS service. Click Next.
Next, integrate DHCP with Active Directory (to disable, use the “Skip authorization of this DHCP server in AD DS”) by either allowing the service to use the credentials of the currently logged in user or using the Specify button to provide a different user account.
Click Next.
At the Summary screen, verify the settings are as intended and then click on Next.The role is then installed and if you selected to do so the service is started as well. There are a lot of steps here, but if you’re new to Windows Server, don’t let that intimidate you. It’s a wizard and normally takes me a little less than 5 minutes, about what we grew to expect from OS X Server.