Summary #

SecureSchool, ISBossBox, and LibraryDoor has a built-in DHCP server to provide IP address information/configuration to your LAN.  If your network uses Microsoft Active Directory, we recommend that you use Microsoft’s DHCP server that is built into Windows Server.  This is because it integrates with Microsoft Active Directory to update DNS names of clients as they get DHCP addresses.  If you are not using Active Directory, then the DHCP server in SecureSchool can take the place of a separate DHCP server.  The DHCP server in SecureSchool now supports multiple subnets/scopes, reservations, exclusions, and reporting.

Creating Scopes #

DHCP addresses are handed out based on scopes.  A scope is part of a subnet (or the entire range).  For example, a scope can start at 192.168.100.1 and end at 192.168.100.255 with a netmask of 255.255.255.0.  A scope also has a lease time associated with it, which states how long a client gets an address for.

To create a new scope, go to “Setup” -> “DHCP Server” -> “Manage Scopes”, and click on “Add a new Scope”.  Fill in the settings for your new scope/subnet.  You can only have one scope per subnet.  For “Lease Time”, we recommend a short time for wireless / transient devices (86400 seconds, 1 day, for example), and a longer lease time for wired / permanent devices (604800 seconds, 7 days, for example).  Once all the settings are configured, click “Add Scope”.

Creating / Managing Exclusions #

Exclusions are ranges of addresses, or single addresses, that the DHCP server will not hand out.  This is useful for ranges of addresses you put statically addressed devices in, like printers, servers, switches, etc.  To add an exclusion, go to “Setup” -> “DHCP Server” -> “Exclusions”, select the scope you want to create the exclusion in, then click “Add a new Exclusion for the X Scope”.

Creating / Managing Reservations #

Reservations are used to always assign a device the same IP address.  This is different from a statically configured client, because the client still gets it’s settings from DHCP, which makes it centrally managed and easier to track.  Reservations are commonly used for printers, cameras, and special workstations that need certain IP addresses.  To create a reservation, go to “Setup” -> “DHCP Server” -> “Reservations”, select the scope you want to create the exclusion in, then click “Add a new reservation for the X Scope”.  In the form, enter a name for the reservation, so you remember what it’s for, the IP address you want the device to get, and the MAC / hardware address of the device, then click “Add Reservation”.

Managing Server or Scope Options #

DHCP can configure other options on clients, like the DNS servers a client uses, the DNS domain the workstation is in, default gateway, etc.  These options can be configured at the server level or at the scope level.  Server level options apply to all scopes.  If a scope has the the same option configured (for example, DNS Server), then the scope level setting will take priority.  Some settings should not be applied at the server level, since they are scope dependent.  For example, the “router” option tells the client what IP address to use as it’s default gateway.  Since this is different per scope, it does not make sense to configure it at the server level.  However, all scopes probably use the same DNS server, so you can configure that as a server option.

To create or manage server options, go to “Setup” -> “DHCP Server” -> “Server Options”, and fill in the options you’d like to configure, then click on “Save Changes”.

To create or manage scope level options, go to “Setup” -> “DHCP Server” -> “Scope Options”, select a scope, fill in the options you’d like to configure, then click on “Save Changes”.

If you need to configure options that are not listed here, contact Technical Support and we can help you add those options.