How to backup, restore DHCP Database
DHCP has its own database. Stored in this DHCP.mdb are the addresses, scopes and leases of the clients. Understanding this database will help you backing up and restore a DHCP server.
Check out this folder: %systemroot%\system32\dhcp\dhcp.mdb
As time goes by the database will grow, and best practice dictates that you should consolidate the database by freeing up space taken up by old leases.
The procedure for compacting the dhcp.mdb database is this.
1) Stop the DHCP service. Either right click the DHCP Server icon, select All tasks then Stop. Alternatively, go to the command line and type: NET Stop DHCPServer. (For once the command really is DHCPserver, NOT DHCPyourservername.)
2) At the command line, navigate to: %systemroot%\system32\dhcp\dhcp.mdb.
3) Jetpack dhcp.mdb temp.mdb. What this does is copies the existing database, compacts it, then copies it back to the original location – clever.
4) Remember to restart DHCP. Either use the GUI, or if you are at the command line, NET Start DHCPServer.
Backing up the DHCP Database
The first surprise is that this dhcp.mdb database is backed up every hour.
The second surprise is that the old jetpack database engine controls the database.
The third surprise is that you can only automatically backup to a local folder. Should you need a ‘real’ backup, then just backup the files in the %systemroot%\system32\dhcp\Backup\ directory.
Finally, and unsurprisingly, there is a GUI to backup the DHCP database.
Warning: Do not ‘mess’ with any of the files that you find in the %systemroot%\system32\dhcp folder, if you do, then DHCP will stop working and you will either have to restore, or else re-install DHCP.
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