B-10 Reference GuideManually distributing IP addressesIf you choose to manually distribute IP addresses, you must entereach computer’s address into its TCP/IP stack software. Once youmanually issue an address to a computer, it possesses thataddress until you manually remove it. That’s why manuallydistributed addresses are sometimes called static addresses.Static addresses are useful in cases when you want to make surethat a host on your network cannot have its address taken away bythe address server. A network administrator’s computer, a computerdedicated to communicating with the Internet, and routers areappropriate candidates for a static address.Using address servingThe Netopia Router provides two ways to serve IP addresses tocomputers on a network. The first, Dynamic Host ConfigurationProtocol (DHCP), is supported by PCs with Microsoft Windows and aTCP/IP stack. Macintosh computers using Open Transport andcomputers using the UNIX operating system may also be able to useDHCP. The second way, MacIP, is for Macintosh computers. MacIP isprovided with the Netopia Internet Software Starter Kit.The Netopia Router can use both DHCP and MacIP. Whether you useone or both will depend on your particular networking environment.If that environment includes both PCs and Macintosh computersthat do not use Open Transport, you will need to use both DHCP andMacIP to distribute IP addresses to all of your computers.Tips and rules for distributing IP addressesn Before you allocate IP addresses using DHCP and MacIP,consider whether you need to set aside any static addresses.n Note any planned and currently used static addresses beforeyou use DHCP and MacIP.
