Configuring client systems for TCP/IP

Configuring a client system for TCP/IP can be a relatively complex task, or it can be simple. Any complexity involved is related to the possible need to configure TCP/IP manually. The simplicity is related to the fact that TCP/IP configuration can occur automatically via DHCP. DHCP is covered later in this chapter; this section looks at some of the basic information required to make a system function on a network, using TCP/IP. At the very least, a system needs an IP address and a subnet mask. The default gateway, DNS server, and WINS server are all optional, but network functionality is limited without them. Brief explanations of the IP related settings used to connect to a TCP/IP network follow:

• IP address-Each system must be assigned a unique IP address so it can communicate on the network.
• Subnet mask-The subnet mask allows the system to determine which portion of the IP address represents the network address and which portion represents the node address.
• Default gateway-The default gateway allows the system to communicate with systems on a remote network, without the need for explicit routes to be defined.
• DNS server addresses-DNS servers allow dynamic hostname resolution to be performed. It is common practice to have two DNS server addresses defined so that if one server becomes unavailable, the other can be used.
• WINS server addresses-A WINS server enables Network Basic Input/Output System (NetBIOS) names to be resolved to IP addresses. As with DNS servers, it is common practice to enter two WINS server addresses, to provide a degree of fault tolerance.

Remember At the very minimum, an IP address and a subnet mask are required to connect to a TCP/IP network. With just this minimum configuration, connectivity is limited to the local segment, and DNS and WINS resolution are not be possible.

Exactly how this information is entered on the client depends on the operating system being configured. In any case, the parameters required need to be entered into the respective dialog boxes carefully. In the case of Windows Me, the DNS Configuration and WINS Configuration tabs must be used to input the DNS and WINS information. In Windows 2000, the DNS server fields are on the same screen as the main IP address.

Other systems, such as Macintosh and Linux, use different utilities to allow TCP/IP configuration information to be entered.