DJofSD
12-14-2006, 09:15 PM
Part of my collection of PCs is an IBM ThinkPad. I use it on the rare occasion.
Not having used it for many months, I decided it needed to be cared for, that is, turn it on and update Windows and the virus related stuff. Then play a quick game or two of Free Cell.
When I attempted to do this a few weeks ago, I could not connect to my network via the wireless connection. After too many hours trying to debug the problem which included removing and reinstalling all the drivers, etc., I put it aside.
Yesterday, I picked that little project back up but now with a new PCMCIA card to hook into the network using a cable. Still no connection. IPCONFIG /renew was no help. Looking at the ARP configuration was a waste of time -- there's nothing in any table on any of machines. Defining a new network connection didn't result in anything new or different.
After a couple of afternoons poking around the internet trying to find out why DHCP kept on assigning me an IP address that was conflicting with an existing address, I stumbled across NETSH. Now, NETSH might be old hat for some of you but it's new to me.
After a few trips around the block with my newly discovered tool, I decided to configure my TP with a static IP address that I knew was not in use and in the list of the router's DHCP range of addresses. After fixing up a few DNS parameters, voila! access to the internet and my home network.
I then asked myself, "Self, why did DHCP give you a bogus address and what was it and where's the other device that already is using that address?"
Looking in the router log, I found 192.168.0.100 kept on being given to the TP over and over and over again. Strange (and stupid that some how the DHCP server can't be told that address doesn't work, give me a different address). But looking at the list of the currently used addressed assigned by DHCP, I could see where there was not current device using 100. WTF?
Finally, while looking at the network while the TP was lashed into it, using Network Magic (cool tool), I saw a new device identified as an intruder. NM thought it was a print server.
Now this is where it gets interesting. I had put a network printer server in a few months ago. Looking at the details for the actual printer server network device, Bingo!, it has an address of 192.168.0.100. And, the icing on the cake, it's a manual (static) IP address.
I don't remember if the installation of the printer server told me it was using a static address or even if I choose one during the process. But now the mystery has been solved, 192.168.0.100 needed to be taken out of the list of addresses DHCP could select from.
Merry Christmas.
Not having used it for many months, I decided it needed to be cared for, that is, turn it on and update Windows and the virus related stuff. Then play a quick game or two of Free Cell.
When I attempted to do this a few weeks ago, I could not connect to my network via the wireless connection. After too many hours trying to debug the problem which included removing and reinstalling all the drivers, etc., I put it aside.
Yesterday, I picked that little project back up but now with a new PCMCIA card to hook into the network using a cable. Still no connection. IPCONFIG /renew was no help. Looking at the ARP configuration was a waste of time -- there's nothing in any table on any of machines. Defining a new network connection didn't result in anything new or different.
After a couple of afternoons poking around the internet trying to find out why DHCP kept on assigning me an IP address that was conflicting with an existing address, I stumbled across NETSH. Now, NETSH might be old hat for some of you but it's new to me.
After a few trips around the block with my newly discovered tool, I decided to configure my TP with a static IP address that I knew was not in use and in the list of the router's DHCP range of addresses. After fixing up a few DNS parameters, voila! access to the internet and my home network.
I then asked myself, "Self, why did DHCP give you a bogus address and what was it and where's the other device that already is using that address?"
Looking in the router log, I found 192.168.0.100 kept on being given to the TP over and over and over again. Strange (and stupid that some how the DHCP server can't be told that address doesn't work, give me a different address). But looking at the list of the currently used addressed assigned by DHCP, I could see where there was not current device using 100. WTF?
Finally, while looking at the network while the TP was lashed into it, using Network Magic (cool tool), I saw a new device identified as an intruder. NM thought it was a print server.
Now this is where it gets interesting. I had put a network printer server in a few months ago. Looking at the details for the actual printer server network device, Bingo!, it has an address of 192.168.0.100. And, the icing on the cake, it's a manual (static) IP address.
I don't remember if the installation of the printer server told me it was using a static address or even if I choose one during the process. But now the mystery has been solved, 192.168.0.100 needed to be taken out of the list of addresses DHCP could select from.
Merry Christmas.