[RndTbl] auto-IP

[Sean Walberg]

169.254.0.0/16 is the DHCP autoconfigure address. Any host that tries to get
a DHCP address, but fails, will pick a random address out of that network.
The idea is that if everyone uses that network, you can still have
communication between hosts.

If you want to go that route (pardon the pun) then you could always give
your Mac a second IP address of 169.254.1.1/255.255.0.00 and it will be able
to talk to the HDHomeRun box... as long as you know the address of the
tuner.

Alternatively, set up a DHCP server to serve addresses within your subnet.
You can safely run statically addressed machines and DHCP machines together.
Configure your DHCP server to only use a small range of hosts that won't
conflict with your static addresses. The static machines will work, the DHCP
machines will get their address with DHCP.

Sean

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 6:00 PM, Dan Martin <ummar143 at shaw.ca> wrote:

> I am wondering how I can connect my Mac to a device over ethernet, when I
> have no control over the device's IP address.
>
> I recently purchased HDHomeRun, a dual TV tuner that connects via ethernet.
>  The idea of it is to be able to stream video content to any machine on your
> network.
>
> My network has static IP addresses, so just plugging it into the hub and
> searching for the device does not work.  I understand that it is a DHCP
> client.  There is no documentation with the device, such as a default IP
> address if one exists.
>
> I will only use the video on one machine at present, my Mac.  Wikipedia
> indicates that the device "will also work via an auto IP<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link-local_address>address if no DHCP server is available".  Instructions meant for Windows
> (different document) talk about assigning an IP address of 169.254.x.x to
> the network interface.
>
> I am far from clear on how that works.  If the NIC I use to attach the
> HDHomeRun has such an IP address, does the HDHomeRun know to configure
> itself with a similar address?  The Mac's network preferences GUI allows 4
> choices:  DHCP, DHCP with manual address, BootP, and Manual.  None of these
> seems to work.
>
> I can't even be sure if the device works - but LEDs come on.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions, other than changing my entire network to
> DHCP?  Can you have some nodes on a network get addresses by DHCP while
> others are static?
>
> -Dan
>
> Dan Martin
> GP Hospital Practitioner
> Computer Scientist
> ummar143 at shaw.ca
> (204) 831-1746
> answering machine always on
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Roundtable mailing list
> Roundtable at muug.mb.ca
> http://www.muug.mb.ca/mailman/listinfo/roundtable
>
>


-- 
Sean Walberg <sean at ertw.com>    http://ertw.com/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.muug.mb.ca/pipermail/roundtable/attachments/20091119/8e8f90f9/attachment-0001.html