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Basic DHCP Server Setup

Basic DHCP Server Setup

Section titled “Basic DHCP Server Setup”

TL;DR (Quick Start)

Section titled “TL;DR (Quick Start)”

For the impatient: here’s the 30-second version.

# Minimal DHCP server on ether2
/ip address add address=192.168.88.1/24 interface=ether2
/ip pool add name=dhcp-pool ranges=192.168.88.10-192.168.88.254
/ip dhcp-server network add address=192.168.88.0/24 gateway=192.168.88.1 dns-server=192.168.88.1
/ip dhcp-server add name=dhcp-lan interface=ether2 address-pool=dhcp-pool lease-time=1d disabled=no

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

This guide demonstrates how to configure a basic DHCP server on MikroTik RouterOS to automatically distribute IP addresses to devices on your local network. A DHCP server eliminates the need to manually configure IP addresses on each client device.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • A MikroTik router running RouterOS 7.x or later
  • An interface configured with a static IP address (this will be the gateway)
  • Access to the router via SSH, WinBox, or WebFig

Note: In this example, we use ether2 as the LAN interface. In a staging environment, ether1 is typically reserved for management/WAN access.

Configuration Steps

Section titled “Configuration Steps”

Step 1: Assign an IP Address to the Interface

Section titled “Step 1: Assign an IP Address to the Interface”

Before configuring the DHCP server, ensure the interface has a static IP address. This address will serve as the gateway for DHCP clients.

/ip address add address=192.168.88.1/24 interface=ether2 comment="LAN Gateway"

This assigns 192.168.88.1 with a /24 subnet mask to ether2 (LAN interface).

Step 2: Create an IP Address Pool

Section titled “Step 2: Create an IP Address Pool”

Create a pool of IP addresses that the DHCP server will distribute to clients. The pool should NOT include the gateway address.

/ip pool add name=dhcp-pool ranges=192.168.88.10-192.168.88.254

This creates a pool named “dhcp-pool” with addresses from 192.168.88.10 to 192.168.88.254 (245 available addresses).

Step 3: Configure the DHCP Network

Section titled “Step 3: Configure the DHCP Network”

Define the network parameters that will be sent to DHCP clients, including the gateway and DNS servers.

/ip dhcp-server network add address=192.168.88.0/24 gateway=192.168.88.1 dns-server=192.168.88.1 comment="LAN Network"

This tells clients:

  • Their network is 192.168.88.0/24
  • The gateway is 192.168.88.1
  • The DNS server is 192.168.88.1 (the router itself)

Step 4: Create the DHCP Server

Section titled “Step 4: Create the DHCP Server”

Create the DHCP server and bind it to the interface and address pool.

/ip dhcp-server add name=dhcp-lan interface=ether2 address-pool=dhcp-pool lease-time=1d disabled=no

This creates a DHCP server named “dhcp-lan” on ether2 with a 1-day lease time.

Verification

Section titled “Verification”

Confirm your DHCP server is working by running these commands:

Check 1: Verify DHCP Server Status

Section titled “Check 1: Verify DHCP Server Status”
/ip dhcp-server print

Expected Output:

Flags: D - dynamic, X - disabled, I - invalid
 #   NAME      INTERFACE   RELAY   ADDRESS-POOL   LEASE-TIME   ADD-ARP
 0   dhcp-lan  ether2              dhcp-pool      1d           no

The server should appear without the “X” (disabled) flag.

Check 2: Verify IP Pool Configuration

Section titled “Check 2: Verify IP Pool Configuration”
/ip pool print

Expected Output:

 # NAME       RANGES
 0 dhcp-pool  192.168.88.10-192.168.88.254

Check 3: Verify Network Configuration

Section titled “Check 3: Verify Network Configuration”
/ip dhcp-server network print

Expected Output:

 # ADDRESS          GATEWAY       DNS-SERVER
 0 192.168.88.0/24  192.168.88.1  192.168.88.1

Check 4: View Active Leases (after clients connect)

Section titled “Check 4: View Active Leases (after clients connect)”
/ip dhcp-server lease print

Expected Output (when clients are connected):

Flags: D - dynamic, B - blocked
 #   ADDRESS         MAC-ADDRESS       HOST-NAME   SERVER    STATUS
 0 D 192.168.88.10   AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF client1     dhcp-lan  bound

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Problem: DHCP server shows as disabled

Section titled “Problem: DHCP server shows as disabled”

Solution: Enable the server with /ip dhcp-server enable dhcp-lan

Problem: Clients not receiving IP addresses

Section titled “Problem: Clients not receiving IP addresses”

Solution:

  1. Verify the interface name is correct
  2. Check that the address pool has available addresses
  3. Ensure no firewall rules are blocking DHCP traffic (UDP ports 67-68)

Problem: Clients receive IP but cannot access the internet

Section titled “Problem: Clients receive IP but cannot access the internet”

Solution:

  1. Verify NAT masquerade is configured for the interface
  2. Check that the gateway address is correct in the network configuration
  3. Ensure DNS is working: /ip dns print

Problem: “no free addresses” error

Section titled “Problem: “no free addresses” error”

Solution:

  1. Increase the pool range
  2. Reduce the lease time to free up addresses faster
  3. Remove stale leases: /ip dhcp-server lease remove [find status=waiting]
Section titled “Related Topics”

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”
Section titled “Related DHCP Topics”
  • DHCP Client - obtain IP address from upstream DHCP server
  • DHCP Relay - forward DHCP requests across network segments
  • IP Pools - advanced pool configuration options

IPv6 Alternative

Section titled “IPv6 Alternative”

References

Section titled “References”