DHCP: The DNS domain option should be configured as a scope or server option for DHCPv4

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

This topic is intended to address a specific issue identified by a Best Practices Analyzer scan. You should apply the information in this topic only to computers that have had the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Best Practices Analyzer run against them and are experiencing the issue addressed by this topic. For more information about best practices and scans, see Best Practices Analyzer (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=122786).

Operating System

Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

Product/Feature

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Severity

Error

Category

Configuration

Issue

The DNS domain option (option 15) is not configured for one or more scopes.

Impact

DHCP IPv4 clients will not be provided with a DNS domain and will not be able to resolve names.

Resolution

Configure a DNS domain option as a server or scope option using the DHCP MMC.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) uses options to pass additional Internet Protocol (IP) settings to DHCP clients on a network. Examples of DHCP options include:

  • The default gateway IP address

  • The Domain Name System (DNS) server IP address

  • The DNS domain name

Membership in the Administrators or DHCP Administrators group is the minimum required to complete this procedure.

To configure DNS server as a scope option or server option

  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools and then click DHCP.

  2. In the console tree, expand the applicable DHCP server, expand IPv4, and then right-click Server Options

  3. Click Configure Options, check 015 DNS Domain Name, type the applicable domain name in String value:, and then click OK.

Additional references

For updated detailed IT pro information about DHCP, see the Windows Server 2008 R2 documentation on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.