TCP/IP in Windows 2000 Professional

This section provides an overview of the methods available for assigning IP addresses to individual Windows 2000 Professional – based clients in a TCP/IP network. It presents an explanation of each configuration method, including issues you might want to consider when implementing each method.

Choose an IP address assignment method.    Windows 2000 Professional provides three methods for assignment of IP addresses to TCP/IP clients: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), which automatically configures clients in an enterprise with a DHCP server; Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), which automatically assigns an IP address to clients in a single-subnet environment; and manual configuration of IP addresses. Choose the method that meets your environment and client requirements. See Overview of IP Address Assignment later in this chapter.

If automatic host configuration is desired, and a DHCP server is available, enable DHCP.    DHCP provides automatic configuration of IP addresses and other configuration options for clients in a network with one or more DHCP servers. It is the default addressing method in Windows 2000 Professional. See Configure DHCP later in this chapter.

If automatic IP address assignment is desired, but no DHCP server is available, enable DHCP to use Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA).    APIPA provides automatic IP address assignment for computers on networks without a DHCP server. A Windows 2000 Professional– based client assigns itself an IP address from a reserved class B network (169.254.0.0 with the subnet mask of 255.255.0.0), which cannot directly communicate with hosts outside this subnet, including Internet hosts. This option is most suitable for small, single-subnet networks, such as a home or small office. APIPA is configured by default if no DHCP servers are available on the network. See Configure Automatic Private IP Addressing in this chapter.

If DHCP or APIPA cannot be used, configure IP address manually.    If your network does not include a DHCP server, and APIPA cannot be used, use manual IP addressing. You must configure the IP address and subnet mask to meet your client's connectivity requirements. See Configure IP Address Manually in this chapter.