The Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) offers two robust, open-source DHCP server distributions adhering to industry standards: Kea DHCP and ISC DHCP. While both serve the essential function of network IP address management, Kea DHCP emerges as the advanced, feature-rich solution tailored for today’s complex network environments. Recognizing this evolution, ISC has announced the End of Life for the legacy ISC DHCP in 2022, encouraging users to migrate to the superior Kea Dhcp Server. To assist in this transition, valuable migration resources are available to guide users in smoothly transitioning their DHCP server infrastructure to Kea.
Key Differences Between Kea DHCP Server and ISC DHCP
Kea DHCP server represents a significant leap forward in DHCP server technology, offering several key advantages over its predecessor, ISC DHCP:
1. Modular Component Design and Extensibility through Hooks Modules
Unlike the monolithic architecture of ISC DHCP, Kea DHCP boasts a modular design. It comprises separate daemons for DHCPv4 server, DHCPv6 server, and Dynamic DNS (DDNS) functionality. This modularity extends to its feature set through “Hooks Modules.” These dynamically loaded modules enable optional features only when needed, optimizing resource utilization. Furthermore, Kea’s open architecture allows for custom extensions. Users can develop their own hooks modules in C++ to tailor the server to specific needs or leverage pre-built hooks provided by ISC.
2. Online Re-configuration via REST API
Configuration management in Kea DHCP server is revolutionized by its REST API. Kea utilizes a JSON configuration file that can be remotely modified using set commands. Critically, these configuration changes can be applied and reloaded without requiring a server restart. This online reconfiguration capability contrasts sharply with ISC DHCP, where configuration updates often necessitate lengthy server restarts, minimizing service disruption and enhancing operational agility.
3. Designed for Seamless Integration with Existing Systems
Kea DHCP server is engineered for integration. It decouples data management from the execution environment, unlocking new deployment possibilities. The “backend” concept in Kea allows network data – such as lease information, host reservation definitions, and core configuration data – to be stored independently from the DHCP server itself. This separation facilitates integration with external systems like provisioning platforms and IP Address Management (IPAM) solutions.
4. Web-based Graphical Dashboard: Stork
Monitoring and managing Kea DHCP servers is simplified with Stork, a web-based graphical dashboard. Stork employs agents deployed on Kea servers to relay vital system information to a centralized management platform. This provides administrators with an intuitive, at-a-glance overview of system status and activity across multiple Kea DHCP server instances, enhancing visibility and simplifying administration.
Database Backend Flexibility and Advantages
Kea DHCP server offers the flexibility to utilize two robust database backends: MySQL and PostgreSQL. Storing leases, host reservations, or shared configuration data in a dedicated database backend unlocks numerous benefits:
- Enhanced System Integration: Centralizing critical data in a separate database streamlines integration with other network management systems, including provisioning and IPAM solutions.
- Shared Host Reservations: Multiple DHCP servers can leverage the same host reservations backend, ensuring consistency and simplifying management across distributed deployments.
- Centralized Global Options Management: Administer global DHCP options from a centralized configuration backend, promoting uniformity and reducing administrative overhead.
- Scalable Address Pool Management: Databases facilitate the efficient management of large address pools, overcoming the limitations of text-file based configurations.
Open Source Core with Premium Extension Options
The core Kea daemons are open-source, licensed under the MPL2.0 license. Kea’s development is transparent and community-driven, hosted on ISC’s GitLab. Contributions, issue reports, and patches are welcomed from the community. Kea DHCP server is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including most Linux and Unix distributions, as well as MacOS. Pre-built packages are conveniently available via a repository for popular operating systems, simplifying deployment.
Beyond the open-source core, ISC provides premium Kea extensions under a commercial license. These extensions are tiered into Premium, Subscriber, and Enterprise offerings:
- Premium Hooks: The Premium package, available for purchase on the ISC website, includes hooks for DDNS Tuning, Flexible Identifiers, Forensic Logging, and Host Commands.
- Subscriber Hooks: Subscribers gain access to all Premium Kea hooks, along with additional libraries tailored for larger deployments. These Subscriber package hooks include Client Classification, Configuration Backend, GSS-TSIG, Limits, Leasequery, Ping Check, RADIUS, and Subnet Management.
- Enterprise Features: The Enterprise tier, exclusive to ISC Silver or Gold support customers, unlocks Role-Based Access Control, enhancing security and administrative control.
For further information or support inquiries, please Contact ISC.
