DHCP servers

A DHCP server can be a server computer located on the TCP/IP network. All modern server operating systems have a built-in DHCP server. To set up DHCP on a network server, all you have to do is enable the server's DHCP function and configure its settings. In the section, "Working with a DHCP Server," later in this tutorial, learn how to configure a DHCP server for Windows Server 2003.

A server computer running DHCP doesn't have to be devoted entirely to DHCP unless the network is very large. For most networks, a file server can share duty as a DHCP server. This is especially true if you provide long leases for your IP addresses. (Later in this tutorial.)

Many multifunction routers also have built-in DHCP servers. So if you don't want to burden one of your network servers with the DHCP function, you can enable the router's built-in DHCP server. An advantage of allowing the router to be your network's DHCP server is that you rarely need to power down a router. In contrast, you occasionally need to restart or power down a file server to perform system maintenance, to apply upgrades, or to perform troubleshooting.

Tip:
Most networks require only one DHCP server. Setting up two or more servers on the same network requires that you carefully coordinate the IP address ranges (known as scopes) for which each server is responsible. If you accidentally set up two DHCP servers for the same scope, you may end up with duplicate address assignments if the servers attempt to assign the same IP address to two different hosts. To prevent this from happening, it's best to set up just one DHCP server unless your network is so large that one server can't handle the workload.