On Sat, 12 Oct 2013 14:28:10 +0200 berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > > 1: of course, a DHCP can helps, and I have seen those made by an > association starting to buy and configure dedicated hardware. But > even then, the last time I went there they had not setup a DHCP. > Windows is able to build a network without IP conflicts very well, in > default configurations. I strongly doubt that Debian would be, but, > of course, there is no DHCP daemon in default installations of > end-user Debian systems. Plus, even if everyone had a DHCP, some > magic would have to be made to make them able to discuss about which > computer should take which address. Magic which is already present in > Windows XP (not sure about more recent ones) >
I think the vast majority of computers are used with an Internet connection, which these days means a router rather than a modem. Routers have DHCP servers enabled by default, and Windows expects DHCP use by default, so it should just all work, even over wireless. In the absence of DHCP or a manually-configured address, Windows will use random link-local (169.254.x.y) addresses, which with 2^16 addresses available will normally work fine in a group. Unfortunately, if some minor issue prevents Windows machines in an established network seeing DHCP during boot, they will not re-try their last address, but will pick one of these addresses, which guarantees they won't connect with anything else in the network. I'm not sure about Debian these days: the last time I installed Debian (etch, I think) in default (not expert) mode without a DHCP server present, the result was that no networking software was installed at all. Reporting this as a bug, I was as usual told that it was a feature. What was really annoying was that it was a netinstall... Certainly if there is a DHCP server running on installation, Debian Just Works. -- Joe -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20131012143629.7c949...@jretrading.com
