A DHCP server can use a custom DHCP client identifier to reserve an IP address for a specific network interface card. If the NIC is replaced, the new NIC will receive the same IP address from the DHCP server. When a Windows NT DHCP client sends a client identifier to a DHCP server, it sends the identifier as 4 bytes, or 8 hexadecimal characters. The identifier is sent in groups of two hexadecimal characters, with these groups of two sent in reverse order. If the identifier is less than 8 hexadecimal characters, then zeros are padded at the end of the identifier. For example:
Custom Client Identifier Client Reservation on DHCP Server
12345678 78563412
123456 56341200
1234 34120000
1234567 67452301
12345 45230100
123 23010000
A18F42 428FA100
CF432 32F40C00
C32D1BE BED1320C
When you create a scope, you specify that client leases should be assigned either with a fixed expiration date or with an unlimited expiration date. A fixed expiration date is usually the best option. You can then supplement this with address reservations for clients that need semipermanent IP addresses.
Managing Client Leases
To open this dialog box, select the scope in the DHCP Manager and then choose Active Leases from the Scope menu. The primary fields of this dialog box are used as follows:
Total Addresses in Scope Shows the total number of IP addresses assigned to the scope. Active/Excluded Shows the total number of active or excluded addresses as a numerical value and a percentage of the total available addresses.
Tip Think of the Active/Excluded field as the number of addresses used up. If the percentage total reaches 85 percent or more, you may want to consider assigning additional addresses or freeing up addresses for use.
Available Shows the total number of addresses available for use as a numerical value and a percentage of the total available addresses. Client Shows the active leases or reservations for the currently selected scope. Clients are listed by IP address and by client name. If the IP address is reserved, the listing is followed by the keyword Reservation. Select the Show Reservations Only check box to only display reservations in the Client list box.
Properties Displays the properties of the lease or reservation selected in the Client list box. Delete Deletes the currently selected lease or reservation. Reconcile Reconciles the client leases and reservations against the DHCP database on the server. This is useful if you want to ensure that the list of leases shown is actually in use.
Refresh Refreshes the listings in the Client list box.
Reserving DHCP Addresses DHCP provides several ways to provide permanent addresses to clients. One way is to use the Unlimited setting in the Scope dialog box to assign permanent addresses to all clients that use the scope. Another way is to reserve DHCP addresses on a per-client basis. When you reserve a DHCP address, the client is always assigned the same IP address by the DHCP server, and you can do so without sacrificing the centralized management features that make DHCP so attractive. To reserve a DHCP address for a client, follow these steps:
In the DHCP Manager, select the scope you want to work with and then choose Add Reservation from the Scope menu. In the IP Address field, enter the IP address you want to reserve for the client. Note that this IP address must be within the valid range of addresses for the currently selected scope. The Unique Identifier field specifies the MAC (media access control) address for the client computer's network adapter card. You can obtain the MAC address by typing the command net config wksta at the Command prompt on the client computer. This value must be typed exactly for the address reservation to work. In the Client Name field, enter the computer name for the client. This field is used for identification purposes only and doesn't affect the client's actual computer name. Enter an optional comment in the Client Comment field if you like. Select Add to create the address reservation. Releasing Addresses and Leases
When you work with reserved addresses, there are a couple of caveats you should know about: Reserved addresses aren't automatically reassigned. So if the address is already in use, you'll need to release the address to ensure that the appropriate client can obtain it. You can force a client to release an address by terminating the client's lease or by logging on to the client and typing the command ipconfig/release at the Command prompt. Clients don't automatically switch to the reserved address. So if the client is already using a different IP address, you'll need to force the client to release the current lease and request a new one. You can do this by terminating the client's lease or by logging on to the client and typing the command ipconfig/renew at the Command prompt. The Client Properties dialog box allows you to modify lease and reservation properties.