[X4U] IP address on local network

[Neil Laubenthal]

Having reserved addresses on your router means that you can make all  
your changes and do IP management from a central location instead of  
having to do it on every Mac.

For instance . . . your ISP might change DNS server IPs and that  
change needs to get out to all machines . . .or you might decide to  
set the OpenDNS servers as your primary DNS resolvers instead of your  
ISP's servers. Or . . . you might decide to change from 192.168.0.xxx  
IP's to 192.168.3.xxx for some reason (to get away from the most  
comon, default one for instance . . .or to split your network into  
segments with a zone that is slightly less protected for a DMZ for  
instance or with a wireless password you don't mind giving  
guests . . .while retaining a more secured wireless on a 'family  
members only' segment of the LAN. With reserved DHCP leases you can  
make all the changes at the router . . . with static you've got to get  
up and walk to each machine.

I still use static though . . . albeit I do keep 2 DHCP scopes . . . a  
G only one on my border router for our two iPhones and N-only one on  
my Airport Extreme for guests with computers . . .the latter is only  
enabled when I have guests and the former has MAC restrictions to  
prevent anything but our iphones from connecting (yeah, I know that  
MAC restrictions are easily circumvented but along with WPA it's a  
defense in depth theory . . .and I know that I could easily have set  
statics in the iPhones as well but then I would have to muck around  
with them more at Starbucks or wherever).

With only 4 computers at home doing it fully static just seemed  
easier . . .I administer classified DoD networks all day and for years  
DHCP was not allowed on classified networks so I just got used to  
dealing with static only.




On Apr 26, 2009, at 11:52 PM, Daly Jessup wrote:

> I do understand why it's good to have permanent IP addresses. I  
> still don't understand why it might be preferable to do it at the  
> router with reservations based on MAC address, vs. setting up manual  
> IP addresses in the Network pref pane.
>
> Can someone clarify?
>
> Daly
> ----------------------