Assigning static IP addresses to a home network.

[Ronn_Bman]

I asked this in another thread, but it has less to do with wireless than it does with networks in general.

I use a cable router that currently assigns addresses to machines, but which address a machine receives depends upon the order in which they are turned on that day. It wouldn't be a problem except for the port forwarding I have in place.

I know the basic information is availible from the routers setup page, but once I transfer that data to the machines what do I do to stop it from assigning? Disable DHCP?

[Night Stalker]

Assigning a static IP has nothing to do with the router. Just go to the properties of the network connection. Select the TCP/IP entry, and select properties. Assign any valid IP in your IP range. Just make sure it's not in the range that your router is assigning via DHCP. For example, if your Netmask is 255.255.255.0 and your IPs have a form of 192.168.1.0, and your router assigns IPs in the range of 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.9 .... just pick any IP from x.x.x.10 to x.x.x.254 for your statics.

[Ronn_Bman]

So my router's IP ends in .1, and the addresses it assigns start with .100, so I could assign my machines with anything between .2 and .99, right? DHCP still runs though.

Why would someone disable DHCP?

[Bungleau]

DHCP allows any client to connect into the network. Some people disable it for security, because if you try to use an address that someone else already has, collisions happen and are tracked.

If you do want to make sure that one machine is always at the same address, you just have to tell it what address to be, as Night Stalker said.

Personally, I prefer DHCP. It's less hassle for me, the part-time sys admin. One of the reasons is that if you have to change your IP address as I recently did, you don't have to change all the computers.

My recent change? I used 192.168.1.x for my internal network, and one of my customers uses the same !#$% thing. I couldn't connect into their network via VPN because someone else had the address. Switched my network to something different (192.168.74.x), and the problem disappeared instantaneously-like.

[Ronn_Bman]

Under the "Internet Protocols (TCP/IP) Properties'" General tab there are a few options.

First, I have to choose between "Obtain IP Address Automatically" or "Use the following IP Address". If I choose the latter, I have to supply the IP I plan to use (within those available as discussed earlier), the DNS 255.255.255.0, and the Gateway. My question here is, is the gateway the routers LAN IP address, or is it the actual IP supplied by my modem? If it's the true IP of the modem, that may be a pain as my IP changes from time to time (usually after losing power).

Second, I have to choose between obtaining the DNS server automatically or supplying it. Don't I leave this with the automatic setting.

I'm sorry to have so many questions, and I have been reading about the subject, but sometimes it's better to talk with people who know than it is to read about it. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[andrewas]

Gateway is the internal IP of the gateway. In this instance, the router. Your computer couldn't care less what the external IP is, external traffic is handled by the gateway.

As for DNS, I suspect it will work in auto, but if not just give it the DNS the router is handing out. It dosent matter if it changes from session to session, the actual DNS servers stay the same, you just get assigned different ones.

[Ronn_Bman]

Excellent! Now I'm in business. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I'll set my desktop up with a static address, so I won't have a hassle with the port forwarding, and I'll leave my son's computer and my laptop set to obtain the IP automatically.

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by andrewas: As for DNS, I suspect it will work in auto, but if not just give it the DNS the router is handing out. It dosent matter if it changes from session to session, the actual DNS servers stay the same, you just get assigned different ones.

I missed this part last night. It did force me to assign DNS, so I just used the router's internal IP. It works this way, so should I change it to what the router lists for DNS, or does it matter?