DHCP, Task: Service check-verify that all DHCP relay agents are functioning normally

Task: Service check - verify that all DHCP relay agents are functioning normally

Purpose

Relay agents, whether Windows Server 2003 routing servers or network devices/routers, forward DHCP communications to a DHCP server in order to service hosts in different networks or subnets.

Procedure 1: Make sure Microsoft Windows Server 2003 DHCP relay service is running using command line

1. Open a command shell by clicking Start, then Run, typing cmd and clicking OK.
2. Enter the service control command:
   

   sc.exe “\\<DHCPRelayName>” query remoteaccess

3. Service control should respond with “State: 4 Running.”
4. If the service is not running, log a ticket and follow the appropriate process for incident and problem management.
5. To restart the service, enter the service control command:
   

   sc.exe “\\<DHCPRelayName>” start remoteaccess

Procedure 2: Check statistics of a scope that traverses a specific agent

1. Start the DHCP management console by clicking Start, then Run, typing dhcpmgmt.msc and clicking OK.
2. If the appropriate DHCP server is not listed in the tree view on the left, right-click DHCP (the first item), select Add Server, enter the hostname for the appropriate DHCP server or select from the authorized list, and click OK.
3. Double-click the appropriate DHCP server on the tree view in the left pane.
4. Click [+] to expand Superscopes (if any), and select the scope from which to collect statistics.
5. Right-click the scope, and select Display Statistics.
6. If the relay agent is functioning properly, the scope should have normal levels of in-use IP addresses.

 

Procedure 3: End-to-end check via client

1. Access a control workstation that gets IP leases from a DHCP server across a relay agent.
2. Open a command shell by clicking Start, then Run, typing cmd and clicking OK.
3. Enter the following commands:
   

   IPConfig /all
   IPConfig /Release
   IPConfig /all
   IPConfig /Renew
   Netsh diag ping dhcp

The client should have released its current IP address or requested a renewal or new one, and the new lease should be active. The Netsh utility will then ping the DHCP server that issued the new lease.

If these steps succeed, the relay server is functioning normally for this network.

Dependencies

None

Technology Required

Base DHCP Windows Server 2003