Actiontec electronic RI408 - Manual (Page 98)

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Actiontec Broadband Router User Manual
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Chapter 7 Using Advanced Settings
Domain Routing
Domain routing is used in multi-router local network configurations. Normally,
to accesss a device connected to one router from another router on the network,
its
IP address must be used. Activating domain routing (by clicking in the appro-
priate check box) allows the user to access to the computer by name (as well as IP
address).
IP Address Distribution
The Router’s DHCP server makes it possible to easily add computers configured as
DHCP clients to the network. It provides a mechanism for allocating IP addresses to
these hosts and for delivering network configuration parameters to them.
For example, a client (host) sends out a broadcast message on the network request-
ing an
IP address for itself. The DHCP server then checks its list of available address-
es and leases a local IP address to the host for a specific period of time and simul-
taneously designates this IP address as “taken.” At this point, the host is configured
with an IP address for the duration of the lease.
The host can choose to renew an expiring lease or let it expire. If it chooses to
renew a lease, it will also receive current information about network services, as
it did with the original lease, allowing it to update its network configurations to
reflect any changes that occurred since it first connected to the network. If the host
wishes to terminate a lease before its expiration, it can send a release message to the
DHCP server, which will then make the IP address available for use by others.
The Router’s DHCP server:
• Displays a list of all DHCP hosts devices connected to the Router.
• Defines the range of IP addresses that can be allocated in the network.
• Defines the length of time for which dynamic IP addresses are allocated.
• Provides the above configurations for each network device and can be con-
figured and enabled/disabled separately for each network device.
• Can assign a static lease to a network computer so that it receives the same IP
address each time it connects to the network, even if this IP address is within
the range of addresses that the DHCP server may assign to other computers.
• Provides the DNS server with the host name and IP address of each com-
puter connected to the network.