Connect the blue console cable to the console port of the switch
Login to the switch using your credentials.
The commands to configure the DHCP service/server are as follows
| Commands | Description |
| enable ↵ | Go to the privileged mode |
| configure terminal ↵ | get to the global configuration mode |
| ip routing ↵ | Enable ip routing |
| interface vlan1 ↵ | Enter the vlan1 interface |
| ip address A.B.C.D <subnet mask A.B.C.D> ↵ | configure ip for the default vlan which will be the default gateway |
| exit ↵ | exit out of vlan configuration(back to global config) |
| ip dhcp pool <pool name> ↵ | create a dhcp pool, give it a name you can remember and makes sense |
| network A.B.C.D <subnet mask A.B.C.D> ↵ | Set the network for the DHCP pool |
| default-router A.B.C.D ↵ | Set the default route for the pool (this is your vlan1 ip address |
| lease 1 ↵ | Set the lease time to 1day |
| Ctrl + c | Go back to privileged mode |
| show ip dhcp pool | This will show you the status of the dhcp pool |
| Show ip dhcp binding | This will show you the list of ip assigned by the pool and what mac-address they are bound to |
Now that all of the systems have IP addresses assigned to them we should do a ping test to make sure we can access them.
Note: If the systems don’t get IP assigned from DHCP try power cycling all the systems by pressing the power button physically.
Ex:
for /l %i in (10,1,20) do ping 192.168.1.%i –n 2
If ping test is successful we can proceed to the next step of configuring the systems.
Key Insights
Accessing the switch through the console port ensures secure initial configuration and troubleshooting access.
Proper DHCP pool and VLAN interface configuration allows systems to receive IP addresses automatically.
Verifying DHCP assignments and bindings helps confirm that devices are correctly connected and recognized.
Performing connectivity tests and power cycling devices when needed ensures network readiness before proceeding with system configuration.