Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point
The ME103 Access Point also functions as a DHCP client when connecting to the ISP. The firewall can automatically obtain an IP address, subnet mask, DNS server addresses, and a gateway address if the ISP provides this information by DHCP.
Domain Name Server
Many of the resources on the Internet can be addressed by simple descriptive names such as www.NETGEAR.com. This addressing is very helpful at the application level, but the descriptive name must be translated to an IP address in order for a user to actually contact the resource. Just as a telephone directory maps names to phone numbers, or as an ARP table maps IP addresses to MAC addresses, a domain name system (DNS) server maps descriptive names of network resources to IP addresses.
When a PC accesses a resource by its descriptive name, it first contacts a DNS server to obtain the IP address of the resource. The PC sends the desired message using the IP address. Many large organizations, such as ISPs, maintain their own DNS servers and allow their customers to use the servers to look up addresses.
Routing Protocols
Two protocols routers use extensively are:
•Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
•Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
These two protocols are introduced below.
RIP
One of the protocols used by a router to build and maintain a picture of the network is RIP. Using RIP, routers periodically update one another and check for changes to add to the routing table.
The ME103 Access Point supports both the older
Network, Routing, Firewall, and Cabling Basics |
August 2003