The Strangest DHCP Problem?

[tmcd35]

Hi all,

 

We have three DHCP servers, each with adjacent scopes. We were forced to restart one of the server last week. Since restarting, that server will no longer run DHCP! We've extended on of the other servers to include this servers scope, so the problem is kinda fixed for the time being. But we would like to get the scope moved back over to this server.

 

The serve 'claims' that is needs to be authorised. When we check it is authorised!?! So we un-authorise and re-authorise, no joy. So we completely uninstall DHCP and reinstall, still no joy.

 

The DHCP service is started, as far as AD is concerned it is authorised. As far as the server itself is concerned - it needs to be authorised and will not start leasing IP's

 

As anyone had a similar problem before? Any clues as to where I can look for a solution?

 

Thanks

 

Terry.

[OverWorked]

Just some ideas:-

 

If you temporarily disable the scopes of the other DHCP servers, what happens? Do your clients get an IP from the problematic server? This is just to test if it is actually working, but saying it's not.

 

Is the DHCP server also a DC?

 

When you authorised it, was it from that server, or another DHCP server?

[tmcd35]

What alerted us to the problem was the fact that we were suddenly running out of available IP's. I don't relish the idea of turning off the two working DHCP's, even temporarily, as that could cause no end of problems for our 300+ class room laptops (i'll guess most desktops would probably already have a lease address).

 

When we discovered the problem this server was not leasing IP's.

 

Yes it is also a DC. We have four DC's. All four are DNS Servers and three are DHCP servers.

 

Also we have tried authorisation from both locations.

 

Cheers

 

Terry

[OverWorked]

Could you just stop them sfter school? Or do you have a lot of after school activities?

 

I know this doesn't really solve the problem, but do you need 3 DHCP servers? Could you just extend the scope on an existing server, or add a new scope to an existing server?

 

Apart from that I'm stumped - sorry!

[tmcd35]

We have a lot of after school classes, and we have our own commitments outside of school which means that downing servers or stopping important process like DHCP are left to holidays and weekends if its a dire emergency.

 

We have extended the scope of one of the other servers, so as I say the problem is kinda solved. I just wanted to know why it happened and if there was a way of getting DHCP back on that server.

 

I like to have multiple DC/DNS/DHCP servers so if one goes down it has minimal effect on the network. Indeed when this server went down we lost some shared drives (not home folders) and some machines couldn't get an IP. If we had one server then no one would have got an IP.

 

Thus I'm now worried incase this should happen again. If the next server loses DHCP then 2/3 machines won't get an IP....

 

Must admit, I too am at a loss on this one. May have to reset DHCP on all machines over half term.

 

Cheers

 

Terry