Each device on an Ethernet TCP/IP network must have a unique IP address. Each SIXNET Ethernet station or I/O module is assigned an IP address by default, based upon the station number (0 to 15,999) that you assign to it. Depending upon the setup of your network, you may or may not be able to use these addresses.
For DCHP and/or Internet Networks:
If your network has other Ethernet devices or is connected to the Internet, consult your network administrator to obtain some valid IP addresses. You may need to assign a new 4-digit IP address to each gateway on the network.
Many SIXNET stations support DHCP addressing. SIXNET stations that don’t support DHCP can still be added to an existing Ethernet network with devices that use DHCP. Ask your network administrator to reserve some IP addresses for those SIXNET stations. Then assign one of those IP addresses to each SIXNET station and to your computer.
Networks that connect to the public Internet must obtain an official network ID from the InterNIC to guarantee IP network ID uniqueness. Although private networks not connected to the Internet can choose to use their own network identifier, obtaining a valid network ID from InterNIC allows a private network to connect to the Internet in the future without reassigning addresses.
Refer to the Microsoft TCP/IP electronic help for information on contacting InterNIC and other related topics.
Refer to the following guidelines when choosing IP addresses:
- If your network consists exclusively of 255 or fewer SIXNET stations and an Ethernet card in your computer, you can configure the Ethernet card to use the same Network ID (10. x. x. x) assigned to the SIXNET station(s). Set the second byte of your cards’ IP address to ‘1’ and the third byte to ‘0’. Set the fourth byte to a value different than the last byte of all SIXNET IP addresses. For example, if you have three EtherTRAK modules with IP addresses of 10.1.0.1, 10.1.0.2 and 10.1.0.3, then assign a unique IP address, such as 10.1.0.9, to the computer. See Configuring the IP Address for Your Ethernet Card for more information.
- If your network consists exclusively of 256 or more SIXNET stations and a card in your computer, you can configure the card to use the same Network ID (10. x. x. x) assigned to the SIXNET station(s). Set the second byte of your cards’ IP address to ‘1’. The third and fourth bytes of the address together represent a station number higher than 255. Set these bytes of your cards’ IP address to a value different than the last byte of all SIXNET IP addresses. For example, 10.1.1.9. See Configuring the IP Address for Your Ethernet Card for more information.