MacOS – How to preserve DHCP server settings when migrating from Lion Server to Mountain Lion Server

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I understand that DHCP server features will be "removed" from OS X Server with Mountain Lion and that there will be no way to manage these using the only remaining app for managing server features (Server).

However, I also gather that it is possible to not only preserve DHCP server settings, but continue to manage them under Mountain Lion Server, if one is careful to follow certain steps. But it's not entirely clear exactly what those steps are, and I don't want to undertake an upgrade at the risk of loosing (even for a second) critical settings and functionality (my entire network has static IP addresses assigned by Lion Server).

How can I ensure that I do not loose my DHCP server settings, and can continue to manage them, through an upgrade from Lion to Mountain Lion Server? In particular, what are the steps to save my existing settings in Lion and have them used throughout the upgrade process to Mountain Lion?

Best Answer

The situation is actually simpler than some references make it seem. As Apple states:

If you enabled DHCP (only) in Server Admin in Lion Server, your configuration will be preserved when you upgrade or migrate to OS X Server (Mountain Lion).

Moreover, the Server app now provides a (very limited, but sufficient) user interface for controlling DHCP.