Summit School District's Shift from Windows DHCP/DNS to a Dedicated Appliance
Summit School District IT Manager Jim Frackoviak had been running Windows Server as a virtual machine solely for DHCP and DNS, following the standard approach for keeping DHCP onsite. However, this setup required frequent updates, security patches, and reboots, adding unnecessary complexity to a core network function. He hadn't considered an alternative until discovering DNSBOX, a dedicated appliance built specifically for these tasks.
After evaluating DNSBOX, Jim found that it provided the same DHCP and DNS capabilities as Windows Server but without the overhead of Active Directory. The system handled IP assignments and name resolution just as before but with a cleaner interface and no reliance on frequent OS patch updates or AD dependencies.
Confident that the switch wouldn't disrupt network functionality, he deployed DNSBOX as a dedicated appliance with support from ApplianSys engineers ensuring a smooth transition.
"DNSBOX is fantastic—the DNS and DHCP work great without any downtime.
It's a lot easier to manage and use than Windows—very reliable, and we haven't
experienced any issues. Deployment was quick and painless, thanks to your engineers."
Jim Frackoviak, IT Manager
With DNSBOX handling DHCP and DNS independently, Jim was able to decommission the Windows Server VM entirely. No more patching, rebooting, or managing unnecessary services just to keep core network functions running—everything now operates on a dedicated, streamlined appliance.
Summit is pleased with DNSBOX's performance and is happy to act as a reference for other schools considering the switch.
