Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Get the same IP address every time

In most cases it doesn’t matter what IP address DHCP assigns a workstation. Unless you’re hosting IP-identified resources such as web or FTP sites on the workstation, other clients won’t care what IP address your computer uses. If you are hosting sites for your intranet or the Internet, or you’re running special client or server software that requires your computer have a specific address, you can configure the computer to request the same address each time it starts. You do this through an address reservation.

An IP address reservation allocates a specific address based on the client’s MAC address (the physical address of the network adapter). When the client requests an address lease, the DHCP server notes the MAC address and assigns the reserved address to the client.

Configure a DHCP reservation

Before you create a DHCP reservation you need to know the MAC address of the client’s network interface that needs the reserved IP. You determine the MAC address using the ipconfig command on the client:

1. On the client computer, open a command console and type the following:

                        ipconfig /all

2. Note the value for Physical Address.

3. On the DHCP server, open the DHCP console from the Administrative Tools folder in the Control Panel.

4. Expand the scope where you want the reservation created, right-click Reservations, and choose New Reservation.

5. Fill in the information in the New Reservation dialog box (see Figure 9-2) using the following list as a guide, then click ...