On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 10:36 PM, Andrew Lunn <andrew at lunn.ch> wrote: >> I have had only one static address and it is for the server. Haven't >> set up all the items with static mainly using dhcp and its worked so far. > > We need to be careful with terminology here. What i was meaning is > that the DHCP server gives out the same IP address every time to the > same client. You configure the DHCP server with the clients MAC > address and the IP address you want it to have. I would amend that to say that the dhcp server usually gives out the same address. Occasionally, most often because of a long machine not on period the address will be different. This occasional changing is why I have considered using static addresses for important items rather than 'fixed' addresses, as you describe just post. > > So this is not a static address, but a fixed address. > > Part of setting up a network is learning what all the terms mean :-) Every field has its arcana and verbiage and part of the joy is trying to decipher what it means and why. In the computer field the why is often not very accessible. > >> Part of the issue is the smart phone and the tablet and the streaming box >> and the 2 laptops and the other computer (all on wireless) and then there >> are the main box and the server and the printers. dhcp makes things a >> little less complicated, when it works that is - - - grin. > > Exactly. Keep with DHCP, but configure fixed addresses. > >> > It does DNS for everything in your home network. It can relay requests >> > to your ISP, or to 8.8.8.8. But ideally you want it to answer when >> > somebody ask about server.home, ipad.home, laptop.home, or whatever >> > you call your devices. What you don't want is the devices in your >> > house directly using the DNS servers of your ISP. If your ISP falls >> > over, it does not matter if you cannot resolve names on the internet, >> > but you do want names for your own devices to keep working. So they >> > need a use a local DNS server which is still running. >> >> So I need to set up a local dns server - - - okay - - - on the order >> paper (that >> list keeps expanding and the items aren't coming off near as fast as new >> ones are hitting!). > > Openwrt's dnsmasq DNS/DHCP server will do this for you, once you have > configured fixed addresses. So you configure the MAC address, the IP > address you want the client to get, and its name. It then has all the > information it needs to give out IP addresses, and answer DNS lookups > for local devices. For DNS requests it cannot answer, it asks the > ISP's DNS server, or any other server you configure it with. When I got the particular router I am using at present openwrt and leede were just in their process of rejoining so the software on the router (looks quite like dd-wrt) was actually in a version that was newer than that of openwrt. I just checked and openwrt now has a newer version. I am loath to fiddle with working and necessary equipment so changes will happen when I purchase the second router and a spare. I like to carry a spare as I'm rural and getting items always seems to be a challenge when there is non-trivial distance and all too often that need happens at very inconvenient times - - - like friday evening or early saturday morning on a holiday long weekend when nothing is too readily available. Thanks for the tips! Dee