You can add multiple DHCP server profiles in your network. Further, you can attach a single DHCP server profile to multiple DHCP servers.

Prerequisites

  • Edge nodes are deployed in the network.
  • Edge cluster is added in the network.

Procedure

  1. From your browser, log in with admin privileges to an NSX Manager at https://nsx-manager-ip-address.
  2. Select Networking > Networking Profiles.
  3. Click the DHCP tab, and then click Add DHCP Profile.
  4. Enter a unique name to identify the DHCP server profile.
  5. In the Profile Type drop-down menu, ensure that DHCP Server is selected.
  6. (Optional) Enter the IP address of the DHCP server in a CIDR format.
    Note: A maximum of two DHCP server IP addresses are supported. You can enter one IPv4 address and one IPv6 address. For an IPv4 address, the prefix length must be <= 30, and for an IPv6 address, the prefix length must be <= 126. The DHCP server IP address must not overlap with the addresses used in DHCP ranges and DHCP static binding.

    If no server IP address is specified, 100.96.0.1/30 is autoassigned to the DHCP server.

    The server IP address cannot be any of the following:
    • Multicast IP address
    • Broadcast IP address
    • Loopback IP address
    • Unspecified IP address (address with all zeroes)
    Caution: After a DHCP server profile is used in your network, preferably avoid editing the server IP addresses in the DHCP server profile. It might cause a failure while renewing or releasing the IP addresses that are leased to the DHCP clients.
  7. Select an edge cluster.
    Follow these guidelines:
    • If you are using a Segment DHCP server on a segment, you must select an edge cluster in the DHCP server profile. If an edge cluster is unavailable in the profile, an error message is displayed when you save the segment.
    • If you are using a Gateway DHCP server on the segment, select an edge cluster either in the gateway, or DHCP server profile, or both. If an edge cluster is unavailable in either the profile or the gateway, an error message is displayed when you save the segment.
    Caution: After a DHCP server profile is used in your network, preferably avoid changing the edge cluster in the DHCP server profile. It might lead to a loss of existing DHCP leases that are assigned to the DHCP clients.

    When a DHCP server profile is attached to a segment that uses a Segment DHCP server, the DHCP service is created in the edge cluster that you specified in the DHCP profile. However, if the segment uses a Gateway DHCP server, the edge cluster in which the DHCP service is created depends on a combination of several factors. For a detailed information about how an edge cluster is selected for DHCP service, see Scenarios: Selection of Edge Cluster for NSX DHCP Service.

  8. By default, the edges for the DHCP server are autoallocated from the edge cluster and DHCP HA is configured.
    The system selects a pair of active and standby edge nodes automatically from the available nodes in the edge cluster. If you want to allocate the edges manually from the edge cluster, go to the next step.
  9. (Optional) Manually allocate the edges from the cluster.
    1. Turn off the Auto Allocate Edges toggle button.
    2. (Required) From the first drop-down menu, select an edge node.
    3. (Optional) From the second drop-down menu, select another edge node.
      The first edge node becomes the active edge, and the second edge node becomes the standby edge. If second edge node is not selected, DHCP HA is not configured.
  10. (Optional) Click the Standby Relocation toggle button to enable standby relocation. By default, this option is set to No.
    Standby relocation means that if the edge node where the active or standby DHCP server is running fails, a new active or standby DHCP server is created on another edge node to maintain high availability. That is, if the edge node where the active DHCP server is running fails, a new active DHCP server is created on another edge node in the same edge cluster. On similar lines, if the edge node where the standby DHCP server is running fails, a new standby DHCP server replaces it on another edge node in the same edge cluster.

    To enable standby relocation, Auto Allocate Edges must be set to Yes.

  11. (Optional) In the Tag drop-down menu, enter a tag name. When you are done, click Add Item(s).
    The maximum length of the tag name is 256 characters.

    If tags exist in the inventory, the Tag drop-down menu displays a list of all the available tags and their scope. You can select an existing tag from the drop-down menu and add it to the DHCP profile.

  12. Click Save.