static ips

[Geneva Olson]

What is the point of a static ip?

 

[BigNate]

On a large network (like a school District's) There may be more users/devices that there are potential/available ip addresses - as such they tend to use dynamic ip, so that you can survive with fewer nodes.... However, some devices, like our printers, really need to have constant contact with software on specific remote computers - rather than have the computer learn a new ip address for the printer every time the address changes you can designate static ip addresses for permanent devices.

 

[Geneva Olson]

On a large network (like a school District's) There may be more users/devices that there are potential/available ip addresses - as such they tend to use dynamic ip, so that you can survive with fewer nodes.... However, some devices, like our printers, really need to have constant contact with software on specific remote computers - rather than have the computer learn a new ip address for the printer every time the address changes you can designate static ip addresses for permanent devices.

Ok. so I understand that. But, if my printer and plotter are hardwired, do I still need the static ip?

(yea, these may be dumb questions. but try asking an xfinity person that question. it blows their damn mind)

 

[netsol]

the ip address is ASSIGNED BY SOMETHING.
either a router, on a simple network, or by a dns or dhcp server on a "real" network
the device has a "lease" that expires, at some fixed point in time. when this happens, you get a new ip address
if you have someone administering the controlling device, you can enter a "reservation" and match the ip address to your device <printer> or you can give it a static ip address, hopefully outside of the pool of addresses that
are assigned to other devices.

these days you use more ip's than you think, dehumidifiers, refrigerators, microwaves get ip's, your phones and tablets as well. if your router has a guest network, your ups guy could well have an ip on your network

if you do not have a static ip or a reservation, you could well end up, in the future unable to print, until you refresh the setup in your rip

if you look at my messages on the forum, we often help people with this problem and the other varieties of ip/network problems that occur

 

[netsol]

On a large network (like a school District's) There may be more users/devices that there are potential/available ip addresses - as such they tend to use dynamic ip, so that you can survive with fewer nodes.... However, some devices, like our printers, really need to have constant contact with software on specific remote computers - rather than have the computer learn a new ip address for the printer every time the address changes you can designate static ip addresses for permanent devices.

Nate, there are always more internal ip addresses since you can change the subnetting (in multiples of 254,
we have several clients with truly LARGE networks, like cable companies
WITHIN REASON we only run out of global ip's which is why we switched to IPV6 addressing
IF ALL 8 BILLION PEOPLE EVER NEED IP'S FOR ALL THEIR DEVICES we will be in trouble

 

[JBurton]

IF ALL 8 BILLION PEOPLE EVER NEED IP'S FOR ALL THEIR DEVICES

I remember going over the ip address crisis in 2004 computer engineering, seemed plausible, or rather very likely, but not an 'end of times' type scenario back then. Then smart light bulbs, thermostats, seat warmers, coffee pots, and dryers became a thing. Now it's a subway train horn...

 

[BigNate]

Nate, there are always more internal ip addresses since you can change the subnetting (in multiples of 254,
we have several clients with truly LARGE networks, like cable companies
WITHIN REASON we only run out of global ip's which is why we switched to IPV6 addressing
IF ALL 8 BILLION PEOPLE EVER NEED IP'S FOR ALL THEIR DEVICES we will be in trouble

.... for practical purposes, if you are not the one managing the network, the # of ip addresses can be very finite (granted this may be artificial and imposed by your Tech Services).

My general understanding from when the ip was created is that historically the ip addresses were very limited due to bandwidth (or more likely phone lines and modems for providers) which made every end user have a dynamic ip as they got a new one every time the dialed in on a modem. Though it would have been fairly easy from the very get-go to use static for everything (maybe just use something unique like the mac address.....) the dynamic network was setup with some self-healing properties. If everything was scrapped and had to be re-created, it may go a different way....

 

[Solventinkjet]

Ok. so I understand that. But, if my printer and plotter are hardwired, do I still need the static ip?

(yea, these may be dumb questions. but try asking an xfinity person that question. it blows their damn mind)

The real benefit of having it set up with static IPs is so that you don't have tell your RIP the new IP address of the printer every time the DHCP server hands out a new IP address to the printer. Xfinity guys tend to be used to consumer level printers that have windows drivers. Windows drivers add printers to the name server so even when the DHCP server hands out a new IP address, the driver can look up the new address and route it properly. This makes it very easy to use for consumer level users. Since a lot of large format printers use a RIP instead of a windows driver, they don't get added to the name server and so you have to look up the new IP address manually and input it into your RIP. By using a reserved static IP for your devices, the IP is always the same and therefore you don't have to go looking.

Also, just in case, the example I gave above is for your local network with your computer and printers etc. If Xfinity is asking you if you want to purchase a static IP address, that means they are asking you if you run your own server for a website or email for example. You would need a static IP from them to be able to tell the internet where to route your email/website traffic to. So unless you're hosting your own website or emails, very uncommon these days, you don't need it.

 

[netsol]

I remember going over the ip address crisis in 2004 computer engineering, seemed plausible, or rather very likely, but not an 'end of times' type scenario back then. Then smart light bulbs, thermostats, seat warmers, coffee pots, and dryers became a thing. Now it's a subway train horn...

WHO WAS THE COMPANY, that had the laptops with a crank on the side, to be used in remote areas without electricity? (obviously no internet)

it was a small group of MIT professors,
the whole project fell apart, because they didn't want any to be sold FOR A PROFIT, so the whole project died on the vine

 

[netsol]

The real benefit of having it set up with static IPs is so that you don't have tell your RIP the new IP address of the printer every time the DHCP server hands out a new IP address to the printer. Xfinity guys tend to be used to consumer level printers that have windows drivers. Windows drivers add printers to the name server so even when the DHCP server hands out a new IP address, the driver can look up the new address and route it properly. This makes it very easy to use for consumer level users. Since a lot of large format printers use a RIP instead of a windows driver, they don't get added to the name server and so you have to look up the new IP address manually and input it into your RIP. By using a reserved static IP for your devices, the IP is always the same and therefore you don't have to go looking.

i always think it is amusing when xfinity goes into a business and never even bothers to check what the existing subnetting is.
they get

 

[netsol]

i
always think it is amusing when xfinity goes into a business and never even bothers to check what the existing subnetting is.
they get ONE DEVICE WORKING jump in the car or truck and take off like they just robbed a bank...