Question

Replicating DHCP configuration of MAC Reservations to multiple DHCP Servers

Asked by: JamesDS

I have recently implemented a resilient DHCP solution comprising 2 Windows 2003 DHCP servers serving ALL the available DHCP subnets but with exclusions setup so that Server A serves the first half of the available range and Server B the second half.

There are about 800 MAC Address reservations on each server and for obvious reasons these lists should remain identical.

Because of the size and complexity of the solution, I wrote script code to take spreadsheet configurations of each server and it's reservations from spreadsheets and apply the configs to each server using the DHCPOBJS.DLL library.

What I need now is a utility to keep the two lists of reservations in sync so that a reservation added to either server makes it across to the other one. I can write the necessary script code myself, but I would far prefer something a little more robust than my code as I will be leaving this client shortly and would like to be sure that the utility in question continues to run automatically as service if possible.

It is not possible to make these servers Domain Controllers and they are authorised on a larger Windows Active Directory currently being upgraded to 2003.

Any thoughts are appreciated, max points (as if that makes any difference!) for something really elegant :)
Cheers

JamesDS

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Asked On
2004-07-03 at 05:02:15ID21046787
Tags

dhcp

,

multiple

,

servers

,

reservations

Topic

Windows 2003 Server

Participating Experts
2
Points
0
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: Fatal_ExceptionPosted on 2004-07-03 at 06:51:23ID: 11463055

Hey James..  could you use DFS to do accomplish your goal here..??  Just a thought...

FE

 

by: JamesDSPosted on 2004-07-03 at 10:47:46ID: 11464006

Fatal_Exception

Are you thinking along the lines of duplicate the database??
The database would get overwritten incorrectly if a lease got renewed on one server within a few minutes of a reservation being added to the other server.
Plus each database is necessarily different in terms of scopes and leases to allow for the fact that both DHCP servers are live at the same time.

Add to this the complication of parts of the database being cached on service startup and you have a complex problem.

not a bad thought, but I don't think it's a go-er.

I think I need to find something that talks to the service in the same way the GUI does and applies the same changes to both databases.

Cheers

JamesDS

 

by: Fatal_ExceptionPosted on 2004-07-03 at 14:30:28ID: 11464996

Yea..  it will take more brainpower than I have today to suggest a solution, that is for sure..  You really have a conundrum here, but I will keep thinking on it, just in case I have an epiphany...  :)

 

by: JamesDSPosted on 2004-08-03 at 10:45:02ID: 11707537

What90
damn, you've been busy today!

No worries here, I never found a solution to this one

Cheers

JamesDS

 

by: Fatal_ExceptionPosted on 2004-08-03 at 17:24:22ID: 11711356

Aint he though..!!  :)  

Sorry we could not find an answer for you..  wish we could have gotten a better response...  

 

by: JamesDSPosted on 2004-08-03 at 22:52:50ID: 11712574

Fatal_Exception

tell me about it, I get about 20 email at a time with What90 comments in them!!

No worries, the only way I have found to do it is install DHCP on the DCs and let the AD do the replication for me.

Cheers

JamesDS

 

by: NetminderPosted on 2004-08-08 at 16:18:38ID: 11749011

PAQed, with points refunded (250)

Netminder
Site Admin

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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