Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a handy protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses to clients in a network. It is one of the most popular and most used protocols in networking. DHCP plays a vitally important role in almost any enterprise of any size. We make use of this protocol in any network environment where we are dealing with assigning IP addresses to devices. As an example, it is present in a home router as well as in a large enterprise with thousands of devices connected to the network. One of the basic and fundamental topics regarding DHCP is its installation and configuration in an environment. And that is what this article covers in detail. Since Windows Server 2022 is the latest and most powerful Server OS, this article covers how to install and configure DHCP in Windows Server 2022 using Server Manager.

Installing DHCP Using Server Manager

Using Server Manager is an easy and user-friendly method to install DHCP on Windows Server 2022. This article explains the process in a step-by-step approach.

• Open Server Manager from the Start Menu.

• On the Server Manager console, click on Manage and choose Add Roles and Features. Then on the first wizard, click on Next.

• On the Installation Type, check out the first option as shown in the below picture, and then click on Next.

• Choose the server on which you want to install DHCP from the Server Pool section, and click on Next.

• Click on DHCP Server from the Roles list. Click on Add Features on the new window that pops up. Finally, click on Next.

• Just click on the Next button on both the Features and DHCP Server sections.
• On the Confirmation window, check out the Restart the destination server automatically if required and click on Install, afterwards. Wait a while until the DHCP role installation completes.

Once the last step gets completed, we are all done with the DHCP installation. However, we still need to perform the DHCP post-installation configurations like adding security groups and authorizing DHCP to the Active Directory Domain Services.

DHCP Post-Installation Configurations on Windows Server 2022

DHCP post-installation configuration on Windows Server 2022 is a brief and simple process. Particularly, we do two things: the first is adding DHCP security groups, and the second is DHCP authorization. They are, in fact, in continue to the DHCP installation. The followings are the steps.

• Right after the DHCP installation completes, we will see the blued Complete DHCP configuration text. See the picture below. This linked text takes us to the post-configuration wizard. We can close this window and still go to the post-configuration using the notification flag on the Server Manager. Both take us to the same window.

• Read the description on the first section of the DHCP post-installation wizard, and click on Next.

• In the Authorization section, specify your credentials to authorize DHCP in active directory domain services. You can put it as default, or specify manually using Specify button at the second option. Once done, click on the Commit button.

• Click on the Close button in the Summary section when the DHCP authorization completes.

That is it! As easy as the above steps, we can install and configure DHCP in Windows Server 2022. First, we must add DHCP roles and features. The second step is to perform the post-installation configuration for DHCP capability.

I hope this article gives you a helpful answer to your questions. If there are any further queries, share us in the comment section.

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This is the complete DHCP configuration guide on Windows server and Cisco router. The article is based on a step by step guide which helps you configure the DHCP server on Windows Server and Cisco routers easily.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a client/server protocol that automatically provides an Internet Protocol (IP) host with its IP address and other related configuration information such as the subnet mask and default gateway. RFCs 2131 and 2132 define DHCP as an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard based on Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP), a protocol with which DHCP shares many implementation details. DHCP allows hosts to obtain required TCP/IP configuration information from a DHCP server.

Why we use DHCP in the network? Every device on a TCP/IP-based network must have a unique unicast IP address to access the network and its resources. Without DHCP, IP addresses for new computers or computers that are moved from one subnet to another must be configured manually; IP addresses for computers that are removed from the network must be manually reclaimed. With DHCP, this entire process is automated and managed centrally. The DHCP server maintains a pool of IP addresses and leases an address to any DHCP-enabled client when it starts up on the network. Because the IP addresses are dynamic (leased) rather than static (permanently assigned), addresses no longer in use are automatically returned to the pool for reallocation.

Benefits of DHCP Server.

Reliable IP address configuration. DHCP minimizes configuration errors caused by manual IP address configuration, such as typographical errors, or address conflicts caused by the assignment of an IP address to more than one computer at the same time.

Reduced network administration. DHCP includes the following features to reduce network administration:

• Centralized and automated TCP/IP configuration.
• The ability to define TCP/IP configurations from a central location.
• The ability to assign a full range of additional TCP/IP configuration values by means of DHCP options.
• The efficient handling of IP address changes for clients that must be updated frequently, such as those for portable computers that move to different locations on a wireless network.
• The forwarding of initial DHCP messages by using a DHCP relay agent, which eliminates the need for a DHCP server on every subnet.

DHCP Configuration Guide

• To configure DHCP server on Windows Server 2012 R2 read this article:

Install and Configure DHCP Server on Windows Server 2012 R2

• The step by step DHCP configuration guide on Cisco Router read this article:

How to Configure DHCP on Cisco Router?

• To Configure DHCP server on Windows Server 2016 follows the below step by step guide DHCP configuration video guide.

That’s all a system administrator needs to know about DHCP configuration on Cisco routers and Windows servers. For more information about the dynamic host configuration protocol read some book about DHCP and ask your question through the comment section.

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The step by step guide to configure Network Access Protection (NAP), in Windows Server 2012 R2.. The NAP is a Microsoft technology for controlling network access of a computer, based on its health. With NAP, system administrators of an organization can define policies for system health requirements. For instance System health requirements are whether the computer has the most recent operating system updates installed. The computer host based firewall is installed and enabled etc.

The NAP is completely removed from Windows server 2016. It will be replace with Direct Access and new network policy feature Web Application Proxy. Also the DHCP servers are no longer capable of enforcing NAP policies.

The above screenshot is Network Policy Server in Windows Server 2016 without Network Access Protection. It shows that you must get ready to migrate from NAP to DirectAccess and Windows Web Application Proxy in Server 2016. I didn’t want to write this article, so it must be written for new admins in Windows Server 2008 and 2012 R2.

Configure Network Access Protection

This post is going to configure network access protection. If you don’t know the installation, read the below article about installation of NAP in Windows server 2012 R2.

• Installing Network Policy Server (NPS) on Windows Server 2012 R2

1. To configure network access protection, open network policy server from server manager.
2. On the network policy server page, from right side select NPS (Local) then select Network Access Protection (NAP) from Standard Configuration section and click Configure NAP link.

3. On the network connection method for use with NAP page, select Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) from Network connection method section then click Next.

4. On the Specify NAP Enforcement Server Running DHCP Server page, just click Next. Then click Next on the Specify DHCP Scopes page. Do click Next on Configure Machine Group also.

5. On the Specify a NAP Remediation Server Group and URL click New Group and type a meaningful name for Group Name. Then click Add to specify a name for Freindly name and name or IP address of Remediation server.  When complete, click OK to close the pages.

6. Now type the help page url address on Troubleshooting URL and click Next.

The Remediation Server Groups are the servers that will be made accessible to non-compliant clients. These servers can be used to patch clients to a compliant status.

7. Click Next on Define NAP Health Policy page.

8. Finally click Finish to complete the NAP enforcement policy and RADIUS client configuration.

9. Navigate to Network Policies and Health Polices to check whether the polices are ready for serving NAP.

So, everything good.

Configure Group Policy and Services for NAP

After installing and configuration of NAP, you should enable DHCP Client enforcement from group policy management.

1. Type “gpmc.msc” on the run and press enter to open Group Policy Management.
2. Expand Forest, Domain, and domain name. Then create a new group policy object, and named NAP enforcement.
3. Now right click on the new created GPO and click Edit to edit it.
4. Navigate to NAP Client Configuration and select Enforcement Clients. Finally right click DHCP Quarantine Enforcement Client and enable it.  Do it like below screenshot.

5. Navigate to System Services and find Network Access Protection Agent then enable it.

6. Go to DHCP, right click IPv4 then select Properties. Now on the Network Access Protection tab, click Enable on all scopes.

That’s all, but don’t forget to configure the Windows Security Health Validator for clients. The default policy is require the Firewall and Auto Update should be enabled, Anti Virus, Spyware Protection must be installed on the client systems.

OK, hope you find this article helpful. Any question? Ask through comment sections. So have a nice and great time as system admin.

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