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bmoreno's avatar
bmoreno
Copper Contributor
Jul 25, 2025

Windows Server 2016 and internet issues

Hello everyone, 

 

I'm relatively new here and hoping for some help. I'm IT at a school in Manhattan that has an old Dell tower running Windows Server 2016 in the basement that is not in use any more with the school as they have transferred over everything to digital. This was set up before my time working here and the person who set it up unfortunately did not leave any notes. We are ready to disconnect the machine as all of it's functions have been moved elsewhere. But, every time it is turned off or disconnected from our network patch, the internet in the entire building goes dead. I do not have previous experience with these kinds of servers and am trying to figure out what could possibly be causing this. I am concerned because the machine is old and feels like it's being held together by duct tape, and if it goes down, I hoping internet doesn't go with it. 

 

Looking for any advice or knowledge about these servers and what I can try to do to disconnect it. 

management
networking
Windows Server

2 Replies

  • roadmapresearch's avatar
    roadmapresearch
    Copper Contributor
    Jul 28, 2025

    This isn't much to go on but it sounds like it could be that it is configured as the web proxy server:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server

    Check if a proxy is configured on your client computers, if it's the name/IP of that server then that will be it.

  • Joseval's avatar
    Joseval
    Copper Contributor
    Jul 27, 2025

     

    Hello

     

    Even if no one actively uses it anymore, it's probably still doing something vital in the background.

    When the internet cuts out as soon as it’s shut down, that’s a strong sign it’s acting as:
    - A DHCP server handing out IP addresses,
    - A DNS server translating website names,
    - Or even a domain controller, if you’re using Active Directory.

    Before you unplug anything, here’s what I’d do if I were in your shoes:
    1. Go on the server and open services.msc — check if DHCP or DNS Server is running.
    2. On a networked computer, type ipconfig /all and look at the “DHCP Server” and “DNS Server” fields — if they match the Dell server’s IP, there’s your answer.
    3. Then you can prepare a router or another server to take over those roles.
    4. Only after you test that everything’s working with the old server turned off should you retire it for good.

    No one wants to be the guy responsible for knocking out the Wi-Fi across a school 😂

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