Replacing my primary DNS, WINS and DHCP server

[zaresa]

I currently have a PC running my primary DNS, WINS and DHCP services. I would like to replace this PC with a server-class machine performing all of these primary functions... I would like the old PC to continue running these services in a backup mode.

I have two questions:

1. Currently, all 600 of my clients point to \\OLD_primary_server for WINS, DNS and DHCP. I now want them to look at \\NEW_primary_server for these services. I'd also like to configure \\OLD_primary as the secondary server. How can I do this without visiting each PC?

1. How do I add a second DHCP server yet ensure that duplicate IP addresses are not given out? I have the MS article instructing how to "copy" the DHCP database. Is this what I want to do?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[divideby0]

Hi Zaresa.

Ok, as you probably know your clients should get their DNS/WINS server IP addresses from the Global or default Scope options in DHCP.

option 44 for WINS servers
option 06 for DNS servers

You can add and prioritise DNS/WINS servers by using the edit array option for each type, and simply enter the IP address of your servers. Hence, add your new servers IP address and promote it to the top of the list, you can keep the old servers IP address in, and your client will use this as a backup.

I beleive (but i'm not 100% on this one) that you could install the DHCP service on your new server. Then stop the DHCP service on both servers and copy the DHCP files from the old to the new server. Then just start the DHCP service on the new server. Leave the old servers DHCP service on manual. DHCP files are held in

\{winnthome}\system32\DHCP

now i haven't tried this, maybe someone else could verify the logic to this. You should then have all the existing scope information that you had before.

----------------------------------------------------------
Do you need help with setting up the replication between the two servers for WINS / DNS ??

Hope this helps

D.B.0.

 

[divideby0]

oh, i forgot to mention about the Registry keys, when moving your DHCP.

If you copied the contents of the DHCP folder (including subfolders) to the new server (i would delete all the files in DHCP on new server before doing this). Then go into the registry editor and browse to

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCPServer\Configuration

now choose restore and when asked for a filename, point it to \{winnthome}\System32\Dhcp\Backup\Dhcpcfg.

Also choose yes to overwrite existing keys.

and i think the jobs a good'un ! let me know if you need help setting up the repl. between the old / new servers for WINS & DNS

D.B.O.