Intellinet Network Solutions 503679 user manual Basic ip networking

basic ip networking

IP (Internet Protocol)

IP stands for Internet protocol. In an IP network, every device has a unique IP address (e.g., 192.168.10.35) to identify itself. There are two ways of assigning an IP address to a PC or router: static and automatic (DHCP). Static IP addresses are keyed in manually, while dynamic IPs are distributed by a DHCP server.

Ports

Every packet of traffic is identified by its source and destination addresses, which ensures that the packet arrives at the correct destination. A port number is also embedded in each packet to identify which software application generated and uses that packet. If it blocks a certain port number, it prevents that particular software from using the connection.

Static IP Address

Static IP addressing ensures that the device will always have the same IP address. Static addressing is commonly used for your servers.

Dynamic IP Address

A dynamic IP address is one that is automatically assigned to a PC. These IP addresses are “dynamic” because they are only temporarily leased to the PC when it connects to the network. This is the most convenient and common way of managing IP addresses in a network. The server that manages this pool of IP addresses is called the DHCP server. This product has a DHCP server built in to simplify the network management.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

The PC obtaining an IP address from the server is called the DHCP client. If there is already a DHCP server running on your network, you must disable one of the two DHCP servers, as running more than one will cause network problems.

Wireless LAN

A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a computer network that transmits and receives data using radio signals instead of cables. WLAN has become common in homes, offices, airports and public hotspots, and can support the same applications and software that run on a wired network (LAN). It’s also more convenient, since it eliminates the need to lay Ethernet cables in a home or office. WLAN networking involves a few additional parameters that need to be configured:

SSID — The service set identifier is the “network name” for the WLAN network, and can be any set of characters or numbers. The DHCP client “sniffs” the radio frequencies for an AP with the same SSID, then locks onto the AP (thus, they’re “associated”). To enable Plug and Play convenience, most client cards can sniff frequencies to extract available SSIDs for user selection.

Encryption — WLAN traffic can be captured by anybody to be read! The solution is to use encryption to make the traffic appear as random characters to an eavesdropper. Both the AP and client must use the same encryption standard and key to enable them to decode the “rubbish.” If the encryption settings are mismatched, the client and AP cannot associate. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is the most common WLAN encryption standard.

Frequency — This device operates in the 2.4 GHz band. Depending on local regulation, not all the frequencies may be available in every country. Frequency is configured on the AP only: The client searches for the AP and locks onto that AP’s channel.

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