This utility translates most ISC DHCP configuration elements to the appropriate format for Kea. However, some elements of an ISC DHCP configuration file cannot be automatically translated to Kea format, either because some features of ISC DHCP are unsupported in Kea, or because Kea implements that functionality differently. In areas where the utility is unable to translate the configuration, it inserts diagnostic messages to highlight what was not translated, with references to issues in the Kea GitLab that provide more detail. These sections of the configuration will require manual review and adjustment.
This tool does not translate the DHCP active lease file. There is an experimental project to translate lease files, the KeaMA Leases tool.
Open the output file and look for log messages, which may include links to ISC GitLab issues with more information.
The major configuration areas that will likely require redesign are the failover or high-availability solution, client classification, and host reservations. Kea has an alternative to the DHCPv4 failover draft implemented in ISC DHCP: the Kea feature is called "High Availability," and it works equally well for both DHCPv4 and DHCPv6. Kea does support client classification, but there is no equivalent for ISC DHCP's hyper-flexible permit/deny scripting language. The option inheritance hierarchy in Kea is different than in ISC DHCP, and the configuration for custom vendor-specific options is also different. Kea has robust support for host reservations, but in ISC DHCP all host reservations are global. In Kea, host reservations are by default per-subnet, although global host reservations are also supported. The following resources may help with understanding your options for enabling these features in Kea:
Once you think your configuration file is ready, load it into the respective Kea DHCPv4 or DHCPv6 server and run the configuration checkers.
When you are ready to cut over from your old ISC DHCP server to Kea, you may want to also translate your active leases. For that, we recommend using the KeaMA Leases tool.
If you have problems using this tool, or want to report crashes or bugs with the tool, please open an issue in the KeaMA GitLab project page.
For advice on how to rewrite configuration elements that cannot be translated by machine, or other topics not addressed here, please post your questions on the kea-users mailing list.
Users whose organizations are interested in purchasing professional support services from ISC are encouraged to contact us at isc.org/contact.