ZyXEL Communications NWA-1100 User Manual

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Chapter 5 System Screens
ZyXEL NWA-1100 User’s Guide
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5.3  What You Need To Know About the System Screens
IP Address Assignment 
Every computer on the Internet must have a unique IP address. If your networks are isolated 
from the Internet, for instance, only between your two branch offices, you can assign any IP 
addresses to the hosts without problems. However, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority 
(IANA) has reserved the following three blocks of IP addresses specifically for private 
networks.
You can obtain your IP address from the IANA, from an ISP or have it assigned by a private 
network. If you belong to a small organization and your Internet access is through an ISP, the 
ISP can provide you with the Internet addresses for your local networks. On the other hand, if 
you are part of a much larger organization, you should consult your network administrator for 
the appropriate IP addresses.
"
Regardless of your particular situation, do not create an arbitrary IP address; 
always follow the guidelines above. For more information on address 
assignment, please refer to RFC 1597, Address Allocation for Private Internets 
and RFC 1466, Guidelines for Management of IP Address Space.
IP Address and Subnet Mask
Similar to the way houses on a street share a common street name, computers on a LAN share 
one common network number.
Where you obtain your network number depends on your particular situation. If the ISP or 
your network administrator assigns you a block of registered IP addresses, follow their 
instructions in selecting the IP addresses and the subnet mask.
If the ISP did not explicitly give you an IP network number, then most likely you have a single 
user account and the ISP will assign you a dynamic IP address when the connection is 
established. The Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) reserved this block of addresses 
specifically for private use; please do not use any other number unless you are told otherwise. 
Let's say you select 192.168.1.0 as the network number; which covers 254 individual 
addresses, from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254 (zero and 255 are reserved). In other words, the 
first three numbers specify the network number while the last number identifies an individual 
computer on that network.
Once you have decided on the network number, pick an IP address that is easy to remember, 
for instance, 192.168.1.2, for your device, but make sure that no other device on your network 
is using that IP address.
Table 4   Private IP Address Ranges
10.0.0.0           -     10.255.255.255
172.16.0.0      -     172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0    -     192.168.255.255