Windows 2008 DHCP service fails – “…failed to see a directory server for authorization.”

active-directorydhcp-serverwindows-server-2008

I have a small environment running Windows 2008 R2 where the DHCP service on the domain controller fails every two weeks.

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The most-visible error is Event ID 1059 and the Event Viewer message is:

"The DHCP service failed to see a directory server for authorization."

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The setup features two domain controller and the usual services and roles (file, print, Exchange). Restarting the service fails for a variety of reasons. I've had the following messages at different times:

  • "Not enough storage is available to complete this operation".
  • "Unable to determine the DHCP Server version for the Server 192.168.x.x"
  • "The DHCP service has detected that it is running on a DC and has no credentials configured for use with Dynamic DNS registrations initiated by the DHCP service."

A reboot of the domain controller resolves the issue for ~2 weeks. The systems are virtualized and there are no network connectivity issues.

Any ideas as to what's happening here?

Edit – The solution seems to be to fix a misbehaving domain controller.

Best Answer

Since I've had the privilege of actually working in this specific environment, I can say with certainty that the DC that is hosting DHCP fails replication and goes unresponsive to requests for various Directory Services functions (like authorizing DHCP servers) every few weeks. This DHCP issue is a symptom of the larger replication problem.

Since the server that DHCP is on is a DC, it only ever looks to itself for authorization. When Directory Services stops functioning on it, so does DHCP.

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