DHCP Server – Should It Be Bridged, Host Only, or NAT?

dhcpnat;remote-accessvmware-workstationwindows-server-2012-r2

For a project of school we have to build a Windows Server 2012 R2 Server on VMWare Workstation 14.0 that should serve as a DHCP Server. The DHCP Server should only be able to connect with his hosts that it provides and aside from that not with any other external network.

I already made one organizational unit with 2 users in it. They already connected to a forest @local , the problem now is that I am supposed to be able to log in as one of the user onto the server and make remote access from a Windows 10 VM.

Should I configure my DHCP server as NAT, Host-Only or Bridged? If there is a anwser, are any additional configurations needed as well?

Please specify if my question is not properly explained?

Best Answer

For a project of school we have to build a Windows Server 2012 R2 Server on VMWare Workstation 14.0 that should serve as a DHCP Server. The DHCP Server should only be able to connect with his hosts that it provides and aside from that not with any other external network.

If you don't want your DHCP server to be connected to the outside world, it is preferable to go for "host-only" network.

By the way, if you install VMWare Workstation on the server, the default VMWare DHCP Service would be added, which itself is a DHCP service for all of the virtual networks inside the workstation. You don't additionally need to install DHCP role on the server; but, that's your call.

I already made one organizational unit with 2 users in it. They already connected to a forest @local , the problem now is that I am supposed to be able to log in as one of the user onto the server and make remote access from a Windows 10 VM.

This paragraph is unclear to me. The Organisational Units are created/present in Active Directory, and not in a DHCP server (within my knowledge). If you want to add a new VM and make that as a AD Domain Server hosting the forest/domain - that is your choice/decision.

You can set the network to any of the two types (NAT / host-only) for AD DS within the VMWare workstation. It is totally based on the requirement. But, if possible, I'd recommend to go for host-only network, as it would bring comparatively more security.

Should I configure my DHCP server as NAT, Host-Only or Bridged? If there is a answer, are any additional configurations needed as well?

If you want your infrastructure within the workstation to be more tightly controlled (secure), you should better opt for host-only network which would set up an isolated virtual network. Bridged connection can't be used as it replicates the another host on the network of the host, and will not fulfil your requirement. NAT resources can access the outside world, and hence would be somewhat vulnerable comparatively.

Recommendations for further reading:

  1. Using VMWare Workstation - Understanding Common Networking Configurations
  2. What is the difference between NAT / Bridged / Host-Only networking?
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