Windows Server Network Configuration

Overview

This article explains how to manage Windows Server network configuration consistently using PowerShell.
It covers static IP setup, DNS configuration, routing priority adjustment, and key considerations when managing multiple NICs.

Variable Definitions

Variable	Example	Description
`<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>`	`Ethernet0`	Target network adapter name
`<<IP_ADDRESS>>`	`192.168.10.100`	Static IP address
`<<PREFIX_LENGTH>>`	`24`	Subnet prefix length (e.g., 255.255.255.0 → 24)
`<<GATEWAY>>`	`192.168.10.1`	Default gateway
`<<DNS1>>`	`192.168.10.10`	Primary DNS server
`<<DNS2>>`	`8.8.8.8`	Secondary DNS server (optional)

Step 1: Check Current Network Configuration

List existing NICs and review their IP configurations.

# List adapters
Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object Name, Status, MacAddress, LinkSpeed

# Show IP configuration
Get-NetIPAddress | Select-Object InterfaceAlias, IPAddress, PrefixLength, DefaultGateway, PrefixOrigin

OriginType	Meaning	Notes
Manual	Manually assigned static address	Explicitly configured via PowerShell or GUI
DHCP	Automatically assigned by DHCP server	Enabled with `Set-NetIPInterface -Dhcp Enabled`
WellKnown	System-reserved link-local or APIPA address	Used when DHCP is unavailable (e.g., 169.254.x.x)

Step 2: Switch from DHCP to Static IP

Disable DHCP and assign a fixed IP address.

# Disable DHCP
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -Dhcp Disabled

# Remove existing DHCP address (if any)
Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -AddressFamily IPv4 |
  Where-Object { $_.PrefixOrigin -eq "Dhcp" } |
  Remove-NetIPAddress -Confirm:$false

# Set static IP
New-NetIPAddress `
  -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" `
  -IPAddress "<<IP_ADDRESS>>" `
  -PrefixLength <<PREFIX_LENGTH>> `
  -DefaultGateway "<<GATEWAY>>"

Note:
Use Remove-NetIPAddress only to remove DHCP-assigned addresses.
Avoid running this command on a remotely connected NIC to prevent connection loss.

Step 3: Configure DNS Servers

Specify DNS servers and confirm the settings.

# Configure DNS
Set-DnsClientServerAddress `
  -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" `
  -ServerAddresses ("<<DNS1>>","<<DNS2>>")

# Verify DNS settings
Get-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>"

Clear the DNS cache and test name resolution:

Clear-DnsClientCache
Resolve-DnsName "www.microsoft.com"

Step 4: Set Priority in Multi-NIC Environments

When multiple networks exist, manually adjust routing priority (InterfaceMetric).
Smaller values indicate higher priority.

# Check current metrics
Get-NetIPInterface | Sort-Object -Property InterfaceMetric |
  Select-Object InterfaceAlias, AddressFamily, InterfaceMetric

# Set preferred NIC priority (management NIC first)
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -InterfaceMetric 10

Recommended Values:

Management LAN: 10

Backup LAN: 20–50

Cluster / iSCSI traffic: 100 or higher

Step 5: Verify Connectivity

Check network reachability and DNS resolution.

# Test gateway connectivity
Test-Connection "<<GATEWAY>>" -Count 4

# Test DNS name resolution
Resolve-DnsName "www.microsoft.com"

Tip:
If DNS settings are not applied properly, restart the DNS client service:
Terminal window
net stop dnscache && net start dnscache

Step 6: Disable IPv6 (Optional)

By default, Windows Server enables both IPv4 and IPv6.
If IPv6 is unused in your environment, disable it to prevent unnecessary route advertisements and inconsistent name resolution.

# Check IPv6 binding status
Get-NetAdapterBinding `
  -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" `
  -ComponentID "ms_tcpip6"

# Disable IPv6
Disable-NetAdapterBinding `
  -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" `
  -ComponentID "ms_tcpip6" `
  -PassThru

# Verify again
Get-NetAdapterBinding `
  -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" `
  -ComponentID "ms_tcpip6"

Re-enable IPv6 if required:

Enable-NetAdapterBinding `
  -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" `
  -ComponentID "ms_tcpip6"

Step 7: Best Practices

Fix NIC Names
Prevent automatic renaming by assigning a management label:
Terminal window
```
Rename-NetAdapter -Name "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -NewName "LAN-Primary"
```

Remove Unnecessary Routes
Avoid duplicate or invalid routes by explicitly cleaning them:

Get-NetRoute -AddressFamily IPv4
Remove-NetRoute -DestinationPrefix "0.0.0.0/0" -InterfaceAlias "BackupNIC" -Confirm:$false

Enable or Disable a Network Adapter

# Disable adapter
Disable-NetAdapter -Name "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -Confirm:$false
# Enable adapter
Enable-NetAdapter -Name "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>"

Remove Static IP and Revert to DHCP

Remove-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -IPAddress "<<IP_ADDRESS>>" -Confirm:$false
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias "<<INTERFACE_ALIAS>>" -Dhcp Enabled

Conclusion

PowerShell provides a precise and repeatable way to manage Windows Server network configurations.
In multi-NIC environments, routing priority control and explicit DNS configuration are critical for stable operations.
Implement script-based configuration from the start to streamline rebuilds and deployments across environments.