XP and DHCP

I might be being 'Mr Thicky' here but does DHCP need enabling on
Windows XP

To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.

When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.

I know most people tend to go for the 192.168.x.x addresses but I also
know some choose the 10.0.0.x range.

Does DHCP need to be altered, I cannot find any reference to settings
in the XP help section.

Geoff Lane

Geoff Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I might be being 'Mr Thicky' here but does DHCP need enabling on
> Windows XP
>
> To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
> am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.
>
> When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
> appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.
>
> I know most people tend to go for the 192.168.x.x addresses but I also
> know some choose the 10.0.0.x range.
>
> Does DHCP need to be altered, I cannot find any reference to settings
> in the XP help section.
>
More details please - what's connecting to what, what are you trying to
achieve?

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 13:36:51 +0100, Rob Morley <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>> I might be being 'Mr Thicky' here but does DHCP need enabling on
>> Windows XP
>>
>> To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
>> am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.
>>
>> When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
>> appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.
>>
>> I know most people tend to go for the 192.168.x.x addresses but I also
>> know some choose the 10.0.0.x range.
>>
>> Does DHCP need to be altered, I cannot find any reference to settings
>> in the XP help section.
>>
>More details please - what's connecting to what, what are you trying to
>achieve?

I was merely asking about DHCP and whether it needs to be enabled?

I've got a wired home network that works fine with three computers and
a printer.

I've added a Wireless access Point to my switched hub and all works.

However, I am experimenting with various set ups, my laptop (XP Home)
has an onboard NIC and a Wireless PC card (Two addresses) and I have a
dual boot (win98 and Linux) that has a PCI NIC plus a plug in USB
Wireless adapter.

To date I've always set a static IP address but now as two machines
have two cards, plus I've temporarily altered my XP laptop to be the
internet sharer, previously the Linux machine so I have had to alter
the Laptop to 192.168.0.1 which was the previous address of the
Linux/Win98 machine.

I've never knowing used DHCP but as the Laptop (XP) has it as a
function I wanted to try it.

As mentioned though it appears to be issuing 169.254.x.x

Geoff Lane

"Geoff Lane" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 13:36:51 +0100, Rob Morley <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >> I might be being 'Mr Thicky' here but does DHCP need enabling on
> >> Windows XP
> >>
> >> To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
> >> am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.
> >>
> >> When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
> >> appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.
> >>
> >> I know most people tend to go for the 192.168.x.x addresses but I also
> >> know some choose the 10.0.0.x range.
> >>
> >> Does DHCP need to be altered, I cannot find any reference to settings
> >> in the XP help section.
> >>
> >More details please - what's connecting to what, what are you trying to
> >achieve?
>
> I was merely asking about DHCP and whether it needs to be enabled?
>
> I've got a wired home network that works fine with three computers and
> a printer.
>
> I've added a Wireless access Point to my switched hub and all works.
>
> However, I am experimenting with various set ups, my laptop (XP Home)
> has an onboard NIC and a Wireless PC card (Two addresses) and I have a
> dual boot (win98 and Linux) that has a PCI NIC plus a plug in USB
> Wireless adapter.
>
> To date I've always set a static IP address but now as two machines
> have two cards, plus I've temporarily altered my XP laptop to be the
> internet sharer, previously the Linux machine so I have had to alter
> the Laptop to 192.168.0.1 which was the previous address of the
> Linux/Win98 machine.
>
> I've never knowing used DHCP but as the Laptop (XP) has it as a
> function I wanted to try it.
>
> As mentioned though it appears to be issuing 169.254.x.x

If you set up XP as a DHCP client but it can't find a DHCP server on the
network it'll give itself a 169... address (after broadcasting on the
network to make sure no-one is using the address in which case it'll use the
next one in sequence til it finds one not in use). It's designed to give
you some sort of falback connectivity in the event of a DHCP server failure.

Rgds

Andy R

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> I might be being 'Mr Thicky' here but does DHCP need enabling on
> Windows XP
>
> To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
> am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.
>
> When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
> appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.
>
> I know most people tend to go for the 192.168.x.x addresses but I also
> know some choose the 10.0.0.x range.
>
> Does DHCP need to be altered, I cannot find any reference to settings
> in the XP help section.
>
If it's working, leave it. XP does a pretty decent job of sorting it
out.



--
Conor

Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him.

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 17:02:07 +0100, Conor Turton
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>> I might be being 'Mr Thicky' here but does DHCP need enabling on
>> Windows XP
>>
>> To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
>> am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.
>>
>> When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
>> appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.
>>
>> I know most people tend to go for the 192.168.x.x addresses but I also
>> know some choose the 10.0.0.x range.
>>
>> Does DHCP need to be altered, I cannot find any reference to settings
>> in the XP help section.
>>
>If it's working, leave it. XP does a pretty decent job of sorting it
>out.

It does not appear to be working, if I enable Dynamic Addresses it
gets assigned an address in the range of 169.254.x.x

It is shown as running in the configuartion utility but all that seems
to do is give me the option to enable or disable it.

Geoff Lane

Geoff Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
<snip>
> I've got a wired home network that works fine with three computers and
> a printer.
>
> I've added a Wireless access Point to my switched hub and all works.
>
> However, I am experimenting with various set ups, my laptop (XP Home)
> has an onboard NIC and a Wireless PC card (Two addresses) and I have a
> dual boot (win98 and Linux) that has a PCI NIC plus a plug in USB
> Wireless adapter.
>
> To date I've always set a static IP address but now as two machines
> have two cards, plus I've temporarily altered my XP laptop to be the
> internet sharer, previously the Linux machine so I have had to alter
> the Laptop to 192.168.0.1 which was the previous address of the
> Linux/Win98 machine.

I'd have thought that having multiple NICs in a machine was more of an
argument for using static IP addresses so you can keep track of what's
going on.

> I've never knowing used DHCP but as the Laptop (XP) has it as a
> function I wanted to try it.
>
> As mentioned though it appears to be issuing 169.254.x.x
>
In order to run a DHCP client you need a DHCP server somewhere on your
network - usually the router on a home network. If you don't have one
the client won't get an answer when it asks to be assigned an address, so
it will guess one - that's why you're getting the 169.254.. If all your
machines were running XP (with DHCP clients and no server) they would all
grab themselves addresses in that range and would be able to see each
other, but as you have some statically assigned machines they will end up
on different logical networks and nothing much will work (unless you
statically configure the other machines to be on 169.254..)
If you're using Windows ICS the ICS server acts as a DHCP server and
depends on machines using the connection details that it provides in
order to share the internet connection. The default (DHCP assigned) ICS
server address is 192.168.0.1, but apparently you will break it if you
assign the addresses statically (never tried it - don't use it myself).

On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 00:35:25 +0100, Rob Morley <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>> I've got a wired home network that works fine with three computers and
>> a printer.
>>
>> I've added a Wireless access Point to my switched hub and all works.

>> To date I've always set a static IP address but now as two machines
>> have two cards, plus I've temporarily altered my XP laptop to be the
>> internet sharer, previously the Linux machine so I have had to alter
>> the Laptop to 192.168.0.1 which was the previous address of the
>> Linux/Win98 machine.
>
>I'd have thought that having multiple NICs in a machine was more of an
>argument for using static IP addresses so you can keep track of what's
>going on.

Yes, I agree, and probably the best way of learning but at the moment
I am in the middle of a building extension, computers are being moved
and the ICS server is being altered. Hence the enquiry about DHCP

>If you're using Windows ICS the ICS server acts as a DHCP server and
>depends on machines using the connection details that it provides in
>order to share the internet connection.

Right, I didn't know it was specific to ICS, it shows as running on my
msconfig utility so I thought as it was running it should work on my
network.

There seems very little information on DHCP in the help file other
than telling you how to obtain a dynamic IP address.

For the moment then I will stick to my static IPs.

Thanks for the info.

Geoff Lane

Geoff Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 00:35:25 +0100, Rob Morley <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >> I've got a wired home network that works fine with three computers and
> >> a printer.
> >>
> >> I've added a Wireless access Point to my switched hub and all works.
>
> >> To date I've always set a static IP address but now as two machines
> >> have two cards, plus I've temporarily altered my XP laptop to be the
> >> internet sharer, previously the Linux machine so I have had to alter
> >> the Laptop to 192.168.0.1 which was the previous address of the
> >> Linux/Win98 machine.
> >
> >I'd have thought that having multiple NICs in a machine was more of an
> >argument for using static IP addresses so you can keep track of what's
> >going on.
>
> Yes, I agree, and probably the best way of learning but at the moment
> I am in the middle of a building extension, computers are being moved
> and the ICS server is being altered. Hence the enquiry about DHCP
>
> >If you're using Windows ICS the ICS server acts as a DHCP server and
> >depends on machines using the connection details that it provides in
> >order to share the internet connection.
>
> Right, I didn't know it was specific to ICS, it shows as running on my
> msconfig utility so I thought as it was running it should work on my
> network.

Only if you're running a DHCP server - doesn't have to be ICS, there are
many others. I use WinRoute Pro, which has the ability to act as a DHCP
server, but doesn't _need_ to use it.
>
> There seems very little information on DHCP in the help file other
> than telling you how to obtain a dynamic IP address.
>
That's because if you have a DHCP server running you don't need to do
anything - set a client to DHCP and it will (hopefully) configure itself.

Geoff Lane reckoned that:
> To date I've used static IPs but as I'm now messing around with WiFi I
> am changing IP addresses and confusing myself.
>
> When I've gone for the 'auto function' on the TCP/IP setting the card
> appears to get a 169.254.x.x address.

This is what XP calls an 'automatic private IP address'

To use DHCP set your IP to server assigned, and your DHCP server (router,
other PC) will do the rest. Most routers come pre-set to 192.168.0.1 so the
first PC on the LAN will get assigned 192.168.0.2 etc
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