Strategy for Windows Server DHCP Failover? [2012 R2]

Networking
1

Hi All,

Attempting to get a hot standby failover initiated for our place. Windows environment. We have 3 DC's, 3 sites (one DC per site handling DHCP and DNS).

We would like to setup fail-over between them -- Example: When "site 1" DHCP server fails, those scopes are picked up on site 2.

NOTE: We attempted configuring failover in the DHCP options, Hot-Standby mode. Next morning, all the scopes were switched around between the different sites! Shouldn't that only happen with Load Balancing?

All servers are 2012 R2.

How have you guys setup DHCP failover?

2

Solution in 4 easy steps:

  1. set up a pfsense box and set up some sensible shaping and routing rules
  2. migrate to an environment that isn't 5 years old
  3. when the first 2 steps fail, ask stackoverflow
  4. sob incoherently as your entire network falls apart
1 Like
3

Funny, but in all seriousness -- 5 years old? 2012 R2 is still widely used, because 2016 Server tends to break many pieces of software (at least in our environment, and others I witnessed when consulting).

Find one multi-million dollar company using all 2016 servers -- or even 2016 DC's. It is not happening.

4

Oh, I'm aware Server 2016 is a garbage fire.

I never said migrate to Server 2016.

To be fair, I also never offered any other piece of useful advice lmao

5

I know, I needed useful advice god dammit! However, I did fix it :slight_smile:

Had to play around with active and standby modes. In this case with 3 sites (Site 1 = Main, Site 2 & 3 = Satellite), we wanted Site 2 and Site 3 to failover to the main site (Site 1).

What we did: Set sites 2 & 3 to be active sites, and Site 1 to be the standby for those. Of course, making DHCP backups before-hand. Working like a charm now.

2 Likes
6

You are awesome for posting your solution.

1 Like
7

Will, i am working on a similar dhcp server HUB and SPOKE setup. do you have different scope option values and vendor classes ? how did you go with creating them for each of your site 2 and 3?