Network Configuration
This page allows you to configure the various
aspects of the IP port and its relationship
with the local network.
MAC Address
Media Access Control address – this is the unique and unchangeable code that
was hard coded within your SC5-4xIP unit when it was built. It consists of six
2-digit hexadecimal (base 16) numbers separated by colons. A section of the
MAC address identifies the manufacturer, while the remainder is effectively the
unique electronic serial number of your particular unit.
Use DHCP
DHCP stands for ‘Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol’. Its function is
particularly useful when connecting to medium size or larger networks.
When this option is selected, your SC5-4xIP will attempt to locate a DHCP
server on the network. If such a server is located, it will supply three things to
the SC5-4xIP: an IP address, an IP network mask (also known as a Subnet mask)
and a Gateway address. These are not usually granted permanently, but on a
‘lease’ basis for a fixed amount of time or for as long as the SC5-4xIP remains
connected and switched on.
Discover allocations
.
IP Address
This is the identity of the SC5-4xIP within a network. The IP address can be
thought of as the telephone number of the SC5-4xIP. Unlike the MAC address,
the IP address can be altered to suit the network to which it is connected. It can
either be entered manually or configured automatically using the DHCP option.
When the DHCP option is enabled, this entry is unavailable. See
IP addresses
.
To get here
1 From a local keyboard, log on as the
‘admin’ user.
2 Press
(hotkeys can change).
3 Press to show the Main Menu.
4 Select ‘Configuration’ and press
.
5 Select ‘Network Configuration’ & press
.
Net Mask
Also often called the ‘subnet-mask’, this value is used alongside the IP address
to help define a smaller collection (or subnet) of devices on a network. In this
way a distinction is made between locally connected devices and ones that are
reachable elsewhere, such as on the wider Internet. This process helps to reduce
overall traffic on the network and hence speed up connections in general. See
Net masks
.
Gateway
This is the address of the device that links the local network (to which the
SC5-4xIP is connected) to another network such as the Internet. Usually this
is a network router and it will be used whenever a device to be contacted lies
outside the local network.
VNC Port
This is the logical link through which communications with a remote VNC viewer
will be channelled (see
What is a port?
). The default setting is 5900 which is
a widely recognised port number for use by VNC software. However, in certain
circumstances it may be advantageous to alter this number - see
Security issues
with ports
for more details.
Note: The VNC port and HTTP port can be set to the same port number in order
to simplify router and firewall configuration. If this is done then the SC5-4xIP will
“listen” for both types of traffic on the single port.
HTTP Port
This is the logical link through which communications with a remote web
browser will be channelled. The default setting of 80 is an established standard
for web (HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol) traffic though this can be changed
to suit your local network requirements.
Clear IP Access Control
This option removes all entries from the IP access control feature within the
SC5-4xIP. The IP access control feature (configurable by a global admin user)
allows certain network address ranges to be denied access to the SC5-4xIP. If set
incorrectly, it is possible to exclude all network users and so this option provides
an emergency recovery point.
