IP Address Conflicts
Make sure to remove the IP address from the pool of DHCP addresses in your home network if you decide to manually establish an IP address on a PC. If not, the router can assign the same IP address to another network device. On a computer network, if two devices were set to share the exact same IP address, it leads to an IP address dispute on the network, which essentially prevents communication for the clients concerned. If just around half of the traffic arrives at the intended destination, network connectivity will not function. The computers will attempt to prevent IP address conflicts in more recent operating systems and contemporary networks by first determining if the IP address appears to be taken. However, only the initial machine to receive an IP address will function properly. When a second computer receives the same IP address as the first one inadvertently, it will become aware of the conflict and stop communicating on the network until a different IP address is assigned to it.
| Parameter | Automatic Addressing | Manual Addressing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Automatic addressing implies the automatic assignment of IP addresses to the device on the network. | Manual address implies a manual assignment of IP addresses for the device on the network. |
| Responsible | DHCP is responsible for automatic addressing. | The Administrator (User) is responsible for manual addressing. |
| Conflicts | There are no such conflicts in automatic addressing. | For manual addressing, IP address conflicts can arise if you forget to remove the IP address from the pool of DHCP addresses in your home network. |
| User involvement | It does not require user involvement. | It requires user involvement throughout the whole process. |
| Updation | It is not necessary that the computer will obtain the same IP address each time it is started. | The address remains the same as it is static. |
Manual and Automatic Addressing
On a home network, the router typically determines how the LAN should function. The router will transport traffic between LAN clients as well as between the LAN and the Internet. The router in the network distributes IP addresses and other network-related information to the PCs. This was accomplished through the use of DHCP, which stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. In other terms, it is a protocol for automatically distributing configuration to PCs and other network devices.
- When you buy a home router, it is usually pre-configured with a DHCP server to distribute configuration to your PCs and other devices. The router is also configured so that the DHCP addresses it distributes are on the same IP network as the router’s LAN IP address. This is required so that the clients can utilize the router as their Default Gateway.
- When a computer joins a network, it attempts to obtain an IP address. This was accomplished by sending out a DHCP request that inquires about the availability of DHCP servers on the network. If a DHCP server answers, the machine will use DHCP to request an IP address and any other information it needs from the DHCP server. When your router receives this DHCP request, it will assign an available IP address from its pool of free IP addresses, along with the other information that the computer requires.
Contact Us