Hi everyone! I'm having a weird issue with DHCP after reinstalling my Windows Server setup and could really use your insights. Here's the situation:
Initially, I set up **Windows Server 2025** with **Active Directory** and **DHCP**, and everything was running smoothly — clients connected without any problems. But then I was instructed to remove everything and switch to **Windows Server 2022**. I wiped the servers clean, installed **Windows Server 2022**, and set up **Active Directory** and **DHCP** again with the same configurations as before, including the IP ranges and scope options. However, now when I connect a client, it fails to receive an IP address and instead gets an **APIPA 169.x.x.x** address.
I spent an entire day trying to fix this, but nothing worked. The day after, I went back to **Windows Server 2025**, fully expecting everything to work again, but no luck — DHCP is still not assigning IPs, despite setting it up just like I did the first time.
It feels like there's some lingering issue from the previous servers that's blocking DHCP responses. What could be causing this? Why did it work before but not after the reinstallation? Any ideas would be appreciated!
5 Answers
Are you keeping the same hostname and IP after each re-image? If the server's IP changes, there might be a DHCP relay setting on your switches that needs to be updated. Just something to consider!
It could be a DNS issue. Make sure that the DHCP server is properly integrated with your domain. If you've got two servers, check how they are communicating. Sometimes reconfiguring the DNS settings can resolve these conflicts!
Have you tried using Wireshark to monitor the interface for DHCP client requests? If the requests aren't reaching the server, it could be a network problem. Logs and firewall rules on the DHCP service might also hold clues!
Have you checked if the server is using the same hostname? Sometimes, if you don’t unauthorize and reauthorize the DHCP server after a reinstall, it can create issues. Just a thought!
Yeah, I've done that already!
Try manually assigning an IP to a client and see if you can ping the DHCP server from the client. This might help identify if the issue is related to the DHCP configuration or a deeper network problem!
Exactly! I faced a similar issue, and fixing the DNS did the trick for me.