Chapter 8 Home Networking

•Some ISPs choose to disseminate the DNS server addresses using the DNS server extensions of IPCP (IP Control Protocol) after the connection is up. If your ISP did not give you explicit DNS servers, chances are the DNS servers are conveyed through IPCP negotiation. The AMG1312-T Series supports the IPCP DNS server extensions through the DNS proxy feature.

Please note that DNS proxy works only when the ISP uses the IPCP DNS server extensions. It does not mean you can leave the DNS servers out of the DHCP setup under all circumstances. If your ISP gives you explicit DNS servers, make sure that you enter their IP addresses in the DHCP Setup screen.

8.8.4LAN TCP/IP

The AMG1312-T Series has built-in DHCP server capability that assigns IP addresses and DNS servers to systems that support DHCP client capability.

IP Address and Subnet Mask

Similar to the way houses on a street share a common street name, so too do computers on a LAN share one common network number.

Where you obtain your network number depends on your particular situation. If the ISP or your network administrator assigns you a block of registered IP addresses, follow their instructions in selecting the IP addresses and the subnet mask.

If the ISP did not explicitly give you an IP network number, then most likely you have a single user account and the ISP will assign you a dynamic IP address when the connection is established. If this is the case, it is recommended that you select a network number from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.0 and you must enable the Network Address Translation (NAT) feature of the AMG1312-T Series. The Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) reserved this block of addresses specifically for private use; please do not use any other number unless you are told otherwise. Let's say you select 192.168.1.0 as the network number; which covers 254 individual addresses, from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254 (zero and 255 are reserved). In other words, the first three numbers specify the network number while the last number identifies an individual computer on that network.

Once you have decided on the network number, pick an IP address that is easy to remember, for instance, 192.168.1.1, for your AMG1312-T Series, but make sure that no other device on your network is using that IP address.

The subnet mask specifies the network number portion of an IP address. Your AMG1312-T Series will compute the subnet mask automatically based on the IP address that you entered. You don't need to change the subnet mask computed by the AMG1312-T Series unless you are instructed to do otherwise.

Private IP Addresses

Every machine on the Internet must have a unique address. If your networks are isolated from the Internet, for example, only between your two branch offices, you can assign any IP addresses to the hosts without problems. However, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved the following three blocks of IP addresses specifically for private networks:

•10.0.0.0 — 10.255.255.255

•172.16.0.0 — 172.31.255.255

 

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AMG1312-T Series User’s Guide