What is DHCP? DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a network management protocol used on Internet Protocol (IP) networks for automatically assigning IP addresses and other communication parameters to devices connected to the network using a client-server architecture. In Mikrotik also an available option for you to configure the DHCP for your clients. You can configure multiple scopes for your LAN by enabling the DHCP server on your MikroTik Router. In this article, you will know how to configure DHCP best practices in MikroTik Router.
Read: How to install DHCP on Windows Server 2019
It is easy for you to prepare the DHCP server for LAN by using DHCP in MikroTik. Because you don’t need to set up any DHCP service separately server. You just need to make the correct setting in your MikroTik router. And it does not require any complicated infrastructure to provide IP addresses to your LAN.
But before you enable the DHCP server option on your MikroTik router, you need to know the capacity of your router, because after you enable the DHCP server in your router, the DHCP service will use more resources from your router such as RAM, CPC than if your router is less capable of them, it will be crush or hang by any reasons. The suggestion idea, you can enable the DHCP server on the MikroTik router when your infrastructure is small or medium or there are few services running in the router. If the router runs many services at the same time, maybe the cause overload will happen.
Thus, to get more detail on easy for us to start applying the configuration, please see the diagram detail with an image below.
How to Configure DHCP best practices in MikroTik Router
In this article, you will learn how to configure DHCP best practices in a MikroTik router. Just take note and follow up with us step-by-step below.
1) Download WinBox from the official MikroTik website and
2) Login into the MikroTik router with your username & password
3) In the Menu on left, navigate to IP -> DHCP Server
4) Now DHCP Server Wizard was show up, click on DHCP Setup, and then input the configuration below
- DHCP Server Interface: ether2-Office (Select the interface that is connected to your LAN switch), click Next
- DHCP Address Space: 192.168.10.0/24 (Put the IP network that you want to lease to your client), then Click Next
- Gateway for DHCP Network: 192.168.10.1, click Next
- DHCP Relay: Leave it blank (But if you have a DHCP relay, please put it), click Next
- Addresses to Give Out: 192.168.10.2-192.168.10.200 (Which IP range that you want to lease to your client), then click Next
- DNS Servers: 8.8.8.8 (Input your DNS server, for here we use google DNS), click Next
- Lease Time: Keep it default (You can change it as you need)
- Click Next to finish
Now you had done configure the DHCP server for your LAN network infrastructure. In this example, there is no VLAN inside your network infrastructure. So, if you have multiple VLANs inside your LAN, you still also can configure many DHCP scopes in the MikroTik router.
Note: If you get the red color on your DHCP pool, means that you make a wrong configuration during setup, then it will not lease any IP address to the client. But in this example, we did correct it once, then the DHCP pool color is normally black.
FAQs
What is a client-server architecture in DHCP?
Client-server architecture is talk about the architecture of a computer network in which many clients (remote processors) request and receive service from a centralized server (host computer). Such as DHCP, there are many clients who ask where is DHCP server in LAN by broadcast message, then the DHCP server replies back to the host (Requestor) then, the host starts requesting IP addresses and gets DHCP to lease IP address to that host. This is an example of client-server architecture in DHCP.
Can we configure multiple scopes in MikroTik Router?
Yes, you can. If the network infrastructure you are controlling is medium, and there are many VLANs operating, then you need to configure multiple scopes to provide a different IP subnet to each VLAN inside your network infra. Create VLANs in your core switch, and map a scope from the DHCP server to each VLAN.
Read: How to create VLANs in Cisco Switch
Can we edit the DHCP pool?
There is no problem to edit the information in the DHCP pool. During creating the DHCP pool, are missing or inserting wrong information, and then you want to change it to correct once. So, there are no problems. You also can edit the pool name, lease time, and interface, and especially you can edit the IP address lease out to the client when you need.
How to delete the DHCP pool in the MikroTik router?
It is not difficult to delete or disable the DHCP pool in the MikroTik Router. If you make many changes and edit but still that pool not working, then you can delete o disable it in the DHCP wizard panel.
- Go to IP -> DHCP Server -> Select Pool
- Click – to remove the DHCP pool
- Click X to disable the DHCP pool
Conclusion
There are multiple ways to set up DHCP in your network but if you want to make it easy and simple, just install the DHCP server in your router and enable it to lease IP addresses to clients. Also, MikroTik is a suitable hardware device for your network infrastructure. Both price and performance are really