Compatible Systems 5.4 - Manual (Page 45)

Chapter 2 - IP Routing & Bridging 39
This address should be entered as four decimal numbers separated by periods
-- for example 198.238.9.5
v Note: The single most common problem encountered in IP networking is
the use of a duplicate IP address. You must carefully track the network
numbers you have assigned to various devices in order to avoid hard-to-diag-
nose problems.
> Network IP Subnet Mask
Most IP networks use “subnetting” in order to subdivide a large network into
smaller logical sub-networks. The subnet mask value is used to tell the device
what part of the IP address identifies the network segment (the “network”
portion), and what part identifies individual interfaces (the “host” portion).
There are three generally used “classes” of subnetted IP networks: A, B and
C. Each class uses a different amount of the IP address for the network and
host portions. These classes may also be further divided by correctly setting
the subnet mask.
If you do not enter a number in the Subnet Mask field, CompatiView will
derive a default value from the IP Address number you entered just above.
This default assumes you want a single subnet for all of the available host
addresses. You must manually set the field if you want to further divide the
address range.
To have CompatiView calculate a default mask, make sure that the Subnet
Mask field is empty, position the cursor in the IP Address field, then just tab
through the Subnet Mask field.
> Network IP Broadcast Address
The device will use this address to send any IP broadcast messages. The stan-
dard broadcast address is all 255’s (hexadecimal FFs) in the host portion of
the address. A few networks use all zeroes in this field. If you are unsure
which type your network uses, check with your network administrator.
To have CompatiView calculate a default broadcast address, make sure that
the Broadcast Address field is empty, position the cursor in the Subnet Mask
field, then just tab through the Broadcast Address field.
> Routing Protocol
Routers pass information between themselves about the most effective path
for packet transfer between various end points. There are a number of
different protocols which have been defined to facilitate the exchange of this
information.
Routing Information Protocol (RIP) 1 is the most widely used routing
protocol on IP networks. All gateways and routers that support RIP 1 period-