Windows Server upgrades are never simple. There are lots of connections and dependencies, and everything needs to be handled correctly to avoid introducing problems that turn an upgrade into a nightmare. With upcoming Windows end of life dates in mind, let’s take a look at one of the services you need to upgrade: DHCP.
DHCP Defined
DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. All devices on a network need an IP address to access the network and services; DHCP makes managing those addresses automatic. This eliminates manual effort that would be required to assign address, modify them when a device is moved to another subnet, and reclaim them when devices are removed. Along with eliminating the manual work, DHCP eliminates the inevitable configuration errors when addresses are managed manually, such as two computers being assigned the same address.
Using DHCP requires a server that owns the pool of addresses and assigns (“leases”) an address to clients on the network.
Upcoming Windows Server End of Life Dates
Understanding how to upgrade DHCP is particularly important if you’re running Windows 2008 or Windows 2007; the end of support date for both is January 2020. That means Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for that version after that date, so not upgrading exposes you to ongoing, increasing security risks.
Which version should you use?
Although extended support for Windows 10 is available until late 2025, mainstream support ends late 2020, so it’s worth beginning to think about upgrading that version now, rather than making it your new target. Similarly, Windows Server 2012 is already in extended support, so it’s not a good choice for your new version.
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