Windows DHCP server – distribute multiple default gateways

dhcpnetworkingwindowswindows-server-2012

I'm helping a client through the process of configuring a Windows 2012 DHCP server while migrating from Linux ISC DHCP.

In the Windows New Scope Wizard dialog, there is an option to:

…specify the routers, or default gateways (plural), to be distributed by the
scope.

My customer asked when it would make sense to distribute multiple default gateways to DHCP clients…

I didn't have a good answer. So I'm curious when/if this functionality is appropriate, and does it hinge heavily on certain clients systems (e.g. Windows PCs)? I'd like to hear about practical scenarios.

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Best Answer

If you got multiple subnet linked from a switch in exemple and your main router as your gateway CAN'T do ICMP Redirect, you better give the default gW, or route 0.0.0.0 to the router with the internet behind and to do static rule in the computer to make the computer talk to other router to go somewhere else (like another site)

Only time I seen it can be usefull to have two GW it's on layer 3 switch&router scenario. What I seen in the past was that;

[PC]---1 GW (switch vlan ip)---[SWITCH LYR 3]----- GW#1--[RTR-1]---[WAN1]
                                              -----GW#2--[RTR-2]---[WAN2]

So, is it usefull, no IMO, as nowaday router are cheap and allow multiple WAN, not like in the past.

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