WOT: need computer help...., need to assign an IP address to a particular computer.... Options

[scottb]

on my network.

i have a linksys BEFSR41 and have 2 IP addresses through comcast (at least that is what they tell me).

i need to do the following:

find out my IP addresses

assign one of these addresses to my wifes work computer, and let the rest of the house use the other.


i have messed around within the router but as i don't know my ip addresses. i do an ipconfig and only get one ip address.

so any suggestions oh wise ones? my wife an i both work for the same company and the security system is such that only one log in per ip address is allowed (hence the need for 2).

hope this is clear enough....

thanks,

scott

[KaptKaos]

The static IP issue is not a red herring. It requires a totally different setup from what else has been offered AND the other solutions leave the PC that is not behind the router totally exposed to the internet.

[Richard Casto]

The static IP issue is not a red herring. It requires a totally different setup from what else has been offered AND the other solutions leave the PC that is not behind the router totally exposed to the internet.

I am not trying to be argumentative at all, but why again would he need static IP addresses? I am guessing that this has worked previously for him with just a single IP (that is most likely dynamic). Also, I believe that many users of this type of remote access systems are people who travel (sales, etc.) and have no way of getting a static IP when on the road at a remote location. This also applies to any remote person who may have to use dialup.

[KaptKaos]

The static IP issue is not a red herring. It requires a totally different setup from what else has been offered AND the other solutions leave the PC that is not behind the router totally exposed to the internet.

I am not trying to be argumentative at all, but why again would he need static IP addresses?

IF you are running a router and require that the two PCs on the LAN behind the router present different public IP addresses to the internet, then you need to NAT them. It doesn't make sense to do all of the work to setup a NAT if those addresses are dynamic and can change.

I am guessing that this has worked previously for him with just a single IP (that is most likely dynamic). Also, I believe that many users of this type of remote access systems are people who travel (sales, etc.) and have no way of getting a static IP when on the road at a remote location. This also applies to any remote person who may have to use dialup.

I don't know if it has worked with 2 PCs in the past, however, now he's trying to get two PCs to connect via a VPN to a corporate network that requires unique IP addresses from the source. If you stick them behind a router, that router will grab one IP from the DHCP server and port translate the requests thereby giving all PCs behind the router the same public IP address.

[Richard Casto]

The static IP issue is not a red herring. It requires a totally different setup from what else has been offered AND the other solutions leave the PC that is not behind the router totally exposed to the internet.

I am not trying to be argumentative at all, but why again would he need static IP addresses?

IF you are running a router and require that the two PCs on the LAN behind the router present different public IP addresses to the internet, then you need to NAT them. It doesn't make sense to do all of the work to setup a NAT if those addresses are dynamic and can change.

I am still not getting it. Static or dynamic the IP on the WAN side of his router (or routers) just appears to the host he is trying to connect to as an IP address. It is not going to change during the life of his session and may remain the same address for months. The host he is connecting to should not care (or can even know (easily)) if his IP is static or dynamic.

I am guessing that this has worked previously for him with just a single IP (that is most likely dynamic). Also, I believe that many users of this type of remote access systems are people who travel (sales, etc.) and have no way of getting a static IP when on the road at a remote location. This also applies to any remote person who may have to use dialup.

I don't know if it has worked with 2 PCs in the past, however, now he's trying to get two PCs to connect via a VPN to a corporate network that requires unique IP addresses from the source. If you stick them behind a router, that router will grab one IP from the DHCP server and port translate the requests thereby giving all PCs behind the router the same public IP address.

I don't think it has worked with 2 PCs (now or in the past). That is the problem. But I think it has worked with one PC in the past. And most likely that is via a dynamic IP assigned to his router with him most likely using NAT on the LAN side.

As you mention that if both PCs are on the LAN side of the same router, they will most likely have private class C addresses. And both will present the same public IP on the WAN side (that was given to the router via DHCP from the ISP). Having the two routers (or just two PCs and no routers/firewalls if you like to live dangerously) results in two different DHCP request and if the ISP is doing what they say they are doing, they will issue and honor the two requests with two different IP addresses.