Hello. We have DC with DHCP service based on Windows Server 2008R2 (PRIM). In order to provide some failover capability we are trying to use our Windows Server 2012R2 on remote site as auxiliary server (AUX). The problem is how can we keep AUX server current, especially concerning DHCP service since:
1. DHCP replication was introduced in 2012 and 2008R2 knows nothing about it.
2. AUX is on remote site so cluster role is not an option, since it requires shared storage and 2008R2 is not an option for remote site either (some Hyper-V functionality we need exists only in 2012+).
3. We have ipv4 address assignment strategy which makes "put 50% of scope there and another 50% there" impossible anyway.
So we've tried to use "netsh dhcp server export|import all" approach as scheduled task. Export works fine. Import, however, is not. Couple of times it imports OK. Takes half a minute maybe. But by the third time you try this dhcpserver service hangs at state "starting" and no way you can stop it or restart it but restart entire system. "net stop dhcpserver" says that service is "starting or stopping" so try again later (which never comes).
So the question is: how to deal with it?
And before you ask: yes, the task is run under domain administrator with both domain DHCP administrator and local DHCP adminitrator privileges.