DHCP Console

What is DHCP Console?

A Microsoft Windows 2000 administrative tool for managing the DHCP Server service on Windows 2000 Server. The DHCP console is the main tool used for managing and configuring all aspects of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) on a Windows 2000–based network and is implemented as a snap-in for the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

You can use the DHCP console for the following standard DHCP administration tasks:

• Creating a scope of IP addresses to lease to DHCP clients
• Creating a set of scope options, which are passed on to clients
• Configuring the lease duration for IP addresses leased to clients
• Viewing and terminating active leases on a network
• Creating reservations for servers that need specific IP addresses
• Monitoring DHCP statistics

Graphic D-17. The DHCP console for Windows 2000 Server.

The DHCP console also includes the following advanced features, which are new to Windows 2000:

• Automatic detection of rogue DHCP servers on the network
• Automatic self-assignment of temporary IP addresses to clients if a lease cannot be obtained from a DHCP server
• New DHCP options for multicast groups (class D IP addresses), superscopes for grouping together DHCP scopes for management purposes, and other vendor-specific functions
• Integration of DHCP and Domain Name System (DNS), allowing clients to use dynamic update to update their host names to IP address mappings in DNS server zone files