auto detecting different network setups?? how?

[niteowl]

Hi all,

I'm a volunteer at my kids middle school and have taken on the task of
keeping their computers functioning, XP is new to me but I am learning
by fire here... ;-) I have some knowledge, but am by no means an
expert. I am the most comptuer literate person at the school. My
experience is mostly with Win98se.

My challenge is this, the teachers all have been supplied laptops for
use at the school and at home, The school has it's own network with
one hardwired access in each room, all the computers (desktops and
laptops) have been setup by assigning static IP in the network setup
window. (This was all done long before I arrived)

Recently one of the teachers has installed a router in her room to be
able to connect more than one computer.. this of course changed the IP
settings which I did just fine and all are working, and one teacher
is having trouble reaccessing the schools network after using her
laptop on her comcast connection at home. She says that connection is
auto detected, but then when she comes back to the school, it will not
connect on the school's network.

Is there a way to setup the computers to auto detect all these
different settings?

Thanks,
niteowl

 

[Nepatsfan]

There's probably a better way to do this but if it was me, here's what I'd
do:

Download and install on the teacher's laptop Wntipcfg.exe. It's available
here:

http://tinyurl.com/p66

This will install a Windows 2000/XP version of the Windows 98 winipcfg
application. Once it's installed, find out where it's located. It should be
in C:\Program Files\Resource Kit. Right click on the executable and select
Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).

Now, whenever she connects to a different network, she should click on that
shorcut and hit Release, wait and then hit Renew. That should give her the
appropriate IP settings.

Windows XP is capable of using what's called an "Alternate Configuration"
for machines that use different networks but one of the networks can't be
using DHCP. That's not the case here.

I'd suggest that before you take any action, make sure the teacher OK's it.
No sense trying something she's not going to use.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[niteowl]

There's probably a better way to do this but if it was me, here's what I'd
do:

Download and install on the teacher's laptop Wntipcfg.exe. It's available
here:

http://tinyurl.com/p66

This will install a Windows 2000/XP version of the Windows 98 winipcfg
application. Once it's installed, find out where it's located. It should be
in C:\Program Files\Resource Kit. Right click on the executable and select
Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).

Now, whenever she connects to a different network, she should click on that
shorcut and hit Release, wait and then hit Renew. That should give her the
appropriate IP settings.

Windows XP is capable of using what's called an "Alternate Configuration"
for machines that use different networks but one of the networks can't be
using DHCP. That's not the case here.

would you be referring to comcast? cause the school is not using
DHCP.

 

[Jim Yohn]

Try to find the reasons for someone assigning static ip settings on the
PCs/laptops. Those reasons may make the rest of this discussion a moot
point.



The teacher with the comcast connection gets DHCP-provided settings at home
and needs static settings at school. One way to resolve this problem for
her and to simplify support thereafter would be to change all the school
PCs/laptops so they get DHCP-provided settings at school.



FHCP is the only way I can think of for you to accomplish your goal. If
there is a Windows server in the LAN, consider running DHCP on it and
reconfigure all the teachers' laptops/PCs to receive DHCP settings from it.
DHCP isn't too hard to set up on a Windows server - you can find how by
looking up DHCP at support.microsoft.com. If there is no server to which
the laptops/PCs connect, but the laptops/PCs can get to the Internet, then
you may have a router that can provide DHCP instead.



I repeat Nepatsfan's caution about discussion with teachers. Careful
planning and communications will ensure you are successful in resolving what
is sure to become a bigger issue over time.



XP's native method to view the IP settings is to run the command ipconfig at
a command prompt:

ipconfig /all (this shows the current configuration)

To release and renew an adapter's DHCP-provided settings, the commands are:

ipconfig /release <adaptername>

ipconfig /renew <adaptername>



The ipconfig /all will always work, but if the ip configuration is
statically set, the release/renew won't.



Nepatsfan's recommendation is more useful because the teachers would then
have a simple interface with buttons to release/renew instead of having to
do commands at a command prompt. Neither ipconfig nor Wntipcfg.exe will
help with your particular problems if the adapters for the laptops/PCs have
to be statically configured.



Jim

 

[Nepatsfan]

would you be referring to comcast? cause the school is not
using
DHCP.

How exactly is the router in the classroom being used? Are
machines in that room set to "Obtain an Address Automatically"
(which means that the router is providing DHCP services) or are
static IP addresses still in place? If your still using static
IP's in the classroom then that changes the approach I'd take.

The first thing would be turn off the DHCP services of the router
effectively turning it into a switch. Check the router
manufacturer's web site for documentation on how to access the
router's configuration interface as well as how to disable DHCP.

Then you could set up the teacher's laptop with Alternate
Configuration settings that are in line with the other machines
in the classroom. To do this open up TCP/IP properties on the
teacher's laptop. On the General page, she should have it set to
"Obtain an Address Automatically". That is for her Comcast
connection. Then on the Alternate Configuration page you'd enter
the appropriate information. What's supposed to happen is that
when she connects the laptop to the school network and it doesn't
find a DHCP server it will use those alternate settings.

Post back if you've got any questions. Also, post what brand
router or at least a description.

Nepatsfan

 

[niteowl]

How exactly is the router in the classroom being used? Are
machines in that room set to "Obtain an Address Automatically"
(which means that the router is providing DHCP services) or are
static IP addresses still in place? If your still using static
IP's in the classroom then that changes the approach I'd take.

The first thing would be turn off the DHCP services of the router
effectively turning it into a switch. Check the router
manufacturer's web site for documentation on how to access the
router's configuration interface as well as how to disable DHCP.

Then you could set up the teacher's laptop with Alternate
Configuration settings that are in line with the other machines
in the classroom. To do this open up TCP/IP properties on the
teacher's laptop. On the General page, she should have it set to
"Obtain an Address Automatically". That is for her Comcast
connection. Then on the Alternate Configuration page you'd enter
the appropriate information. What's supposed to happen is that
when she connects the laptop to the school network and it doesn't
find a DHCP server it will use those alternate settings.

Post back if you've got any questions. Also, post what brand
router or at least a description.

Nepatsfan

Thanks for the info, this is the first chance I've had to get back on
here to check the responses..

There is no DHCP server available for the system, and I'll have to
check to see if it would be feasible to do it that way.... no one
knows why it was setup this way. ;-)

the teacher using the router, (D-link) is just using it for her
computer and one for the her student helper. They are set to static
IP's through the router... 192.168.x.x.

I think I'll try that Alternate network setting first... if that
works, that should be fine. Although she has learned to reset it
herself now.. ;-)

We have just learned that the district offers help with setup and
running these systems, so I'll ask to see if we can change over to a
DHCP, a tech who was just here installing some other software was
surprised we didn't already use that.. so............

Thanks for all the information, this is all stuff I need to learn and
it helped...

Have a great Holiday!!

niteowl