Wave Wireless Networking SPEEDLAN TM 6000, Руководство оператора

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How does a network administrator assign an IP address?
IP addresses are supplied by the network administrator (you), the ISP, or hosting company.
The two types of IP addressing – manual (static) and automatic (dynamic) addressing – are described
below.
Manual (static) Addressing - Each device connected to the Internet must have its own unique IP address.
Also, if a computer is being used as a server, you will assign it a permanent IP address. This enables other
computers to connect to it. Static addressing is also beneficial to users that need to maintain a “constant”
connection to the Internet. This will enable users to easily access the IP address.
Automatic (dynamic) Addressing - A DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server assigns the
IP address to each computer as the computer connects to the network. If a computer moves to a new
network (i.e., great for temporary employees or mobile users), it must be assigned a new IP address for that
network. DHCP can be used to manage these assignments automatically. DHCP is described in further
detail below.
What is DHCP?
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows network administrators (you) to assign static or
dynamic IP addresses for the period of time needed to connect to the Internet. Think of DHCP as leasing an
apartment. A prospective tenant may not need to live in an apartment for two years, maybe just a year.
Therefore, the tenant will only sign a one-year lease agreement. For example, each time a computer is set up
to connect to the Internet, the network administrator uses DHCP to automatically assign the computer a
unique IP address. That computer will give up its IP address when it is no longer needed (when the lease
has ended) allowing new a computer (or a new tenant) on the same network to use it. This benefits
educational and corporate settings where users often log on to different computers. In this case more IP
addresses outnumber computers because you can quickly reconfigure the network if needed from a
centralized location.
Servers that utilize DHCP help resolve security, costly IP addressing services, and compatibility problems.
DHCP is an alternative to BOOTP, which reduces the agony of assigning IP addresses and also provides
advanced configuration options.
Note: The figure on the next page may help you understand how a DHCP address is generally
assigned.