Multiple DHCP Servers / 2 Domains

[hoopdream]

Hi,

Currently in our organization we have 2 domains an NT4 and a 2003. Also we have 2 DHCP servers one being for each domain. Both DHCP servers are sunning 2003 STD SP1. With out creating a subnet can you redirect clients to the DHCP server based on what domain they are part of? If not how would I create the subnet?

 

[Saugilsr]

No I don't think you can. DHCP is based on broadcasting so which ever server responds first wins.
If I understand you right you want each domain to have its own subnet?
In that case you need to segment the network by using:
- A router if the two domains are physicaly seperate
or
- if the two domains are mixed use VLANs to segment the network based on ports

When the network is segmented the computers will pick up IPs only from the subnet they belong to.
Also then you can set up the DHCP servers to work together in case of failure.

 

[Nostradamus]

why do you want to separate the domains using different subnets? Why not using 1 DHCP for all clients regardless of which domain they belong to?
Since you have 2 dhcp servers today. one for each domain. Does that mean that they are on seperate networks? totally cut off from eachother?

If you want to seperate them anyway, I can only see the same sollution as Saugilsr above. Either routing between the subnets or using VLAN (which I assume your network hardware has support for) on the ports the clients are connected to.

/Sören

 

[hoopdream]

The reason is that on our old NT4 domain we serve up IP's using DHCP but do not incorporate DNS. In our 2003 domain that has changed of course. I just want to kepp the two domains as seperate as possible. In our NT4.0 domain we use NET BIOS instad of DNS or WINS. If I start serving up IP's in 2003 will that conflict in any way?

 

[hoopdream]

If I start serving up ip's using DHCP it won't conflict with users in a NT4.0 domain in any way is that correct?

 

[Nostradamus]

So the only difference between the nt4-dhcp and the w2k3-dhcp is that the nt4-dhcp doesn't include dns-information in their scope? Otherwise they are identical? are you using dynamic dns in the w2k3 domain?

I can't see how this could conflict. We're trying to phase out the NT4domain in your network. We haven't implimented the AD-domain as of yet, but the conflict we see is not from where the server/clients/hardware get their IP (and other information), but rather what the DC and PDC/BDC can cause.

I can understand if you want a clean enviroment. We would of course try to disable the netbios protocol when we switch to AD. If you don't want that kind of traffic in your win2003 domain, the above still counts... You should subnet your network using a router or assigning VLANs to the switches.

/Sören