Share via

DHCP Failover

Anonymous
2024-02-21T09:54:00+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support,

we are currently using one central DHCP server and want to use a second DHCP server as Failover.

The Wizard enables us to set up the failover in an easy way, but we want to know if there are any risks or any things that we should know before we set this up.

Is it recommended to create a test enviroment to set this up or is this pretty straight forward and nothing can really go wrong?

Thank you for your support!

Windows for business | Windows Server | Networking | Software-defined networking

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question. To protect privacy, user profiles for migrated questions are anonymized.

0 comments

3 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-22T01:46:03+00:00

    Hello,

    Implementing DHCP failover is generally a safe process, but as with any critical infrastructure change, there are some considerations to keep in mind:

    1. Data Synchronization: DHCP failover involves synchronizing the scope and lease information between the primary and secondary servers. While this synchronization is automated, you should ensure that both servers have identical scopes and configurations before setting up the failover relationship.
    2. DHCP Load Balancing vs. Hot Standby: There are two types of failover modes: load balancing and hot standby. In load balancing, both servers actively assign IP addresses; in hot standby, the secondary server only takes over when the primary fails. Choose the appropriate mode for your environment and understand its implications.
    3. Testing and Verification: Although DHCP failover setup is usually straightforward using the wizard, it's always recommended to test the failover functionality in a non-production environment first. This allows you to validate that the failover process works correctly, including testing failover triggering mechanisms, client reacquisition of leases from the secondary server, and subsequent return to normal operation.

    Regards,

    Zunhui

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2024-02-22T09:25:37+00:00

    Hello,

    thank you for the useful reply!

    One thing that is unclear on our side now is about the 1. Info you shared.

    Currently the "secondary" DHCP server has no scopes configured. Do we need to basically "replicate" the configuration of our "main" DHCP server to that server or is that done by the synchronization and we only need to make sure to Select all scopes in the Failover configuration wizard?

    Besides that everything sounds pretty clear on our side, thanks to your reply!

    Thank you for the help.

    Regards,

    Lars

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2024-02-23T06:01:50+00:00

    Hello,

    When configuring dhcp failover, the primary server and the secondary server can have the same scope. For specific steps and precautions in dhcp failover configuration, you can refer to the following link:Step-by-Step: Configure DHCP for Failover | Microsoft Learn

    0 comments