DHCP Server Deployment and VLAN Scope Configuration

Overview

In this project, I deployed and configured a DHCP server on an additional Domain Controller to provide centralized IP address management for multiple VLANs. I created separate DHCP scopes for each VLAN, configured reservations and exclusions for fixed devices, and added the required DHCP options for network connectivity and time synchronization.

Objectives

• Deploy the DHCP Server role on an additional Domain Controller.

• Authorize the DHCP server in the Active Directory domain.

• Create and configure DHCP scopes for the network VLANs.

• Reserve and exclude IP addresses for fixed and shared devices.

• Configure DHCP options such as the default gateway, DNS server, and NTP server.

• Enable the scopes and verify IP address leasing and scope statistics.

Technologies Used

• Windows Server

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)

• DHCP Server

• DHCP Management Console

• VLANs

• IPv4

• DHCP Reservations and Exclusions

Configurations

Since DHCP Server is a critical network service and can require additional resources in a larger environment, I decided to add an additional Domain Controller and deploy the DHCP Server role on it. To do this, I installed the DHCP Server role from the Add Roles and Features wizard.

Then, I used a domain administrator account to authorize the DHCP server in Active Directory.

After opening the DHCP console from Server Manager, I verified that the DHCP server was authorized and ready to provide IP addresses.

The next step was creating scopes for the VLANs in the network. I used a /24 network range for each scope because there were no more than 200 clients on each VLAN.

During scope creation, I excluded the initial IP addresses from each scope to use for devices and services that required fixed IP addresses. I then used these addresses when configuring DHCP reservations where appropriate.

The final IP address ranges for each scope were configured as shown in the picture below.

Since some devices in the VLANs required fixed IP addresses, I used addresses from the excluded ranges for these devices. For example, I added a printer and assigned it an IP address from the excluded range.

Then, I added the required DHCP options that clients needed to operate properly on the network. These included the Default Gateway, DNS Server, and NTP Server for time synchronization.

Finally, after creating the required scopes for the available VLANs, I activated the scopes so that they were ready to lease IP addresses to clients.

After clients obtained IP addresses from the DHCP server, I checked the current status of each scope by right-clicking the scope and opening Statistics.

Results

The DHCP server was successfully deployed and authorized in the Active Directory domain. Separate DHCP scopes were configured for the network VLANs, with appropriate exclusions, reservations, and DHCP options. The scopes were activated successfully, and client devices were able to obtain IP addresses and the required network configuration automatically.