How to authorize DHCP for clients

A common question is whether there is a way to configure a DHCP Server so that it only assigns IP addresses to machines that you authorize it to do so. For example, can you assign an IP address based on a MAC address. Of course you can—you create a DHCP reservation. But this really doesn’t answer the question because DHCP reservations don’t “”authorize”” DHCP clients before leasing them an address.

The real solution to this issue will come when Windows Server 2008 is released and it’s called Network Access Protection (NAP) as you can use the DHCP Enforcement method of NAP to allow only authorized clients to lease addresses from your DHCP server. For more information about NAP and its DHCP Enforcement method (and other enforcement methods) see my book Introducing Windows Server 2008.

Article written by MyComputerAid.com