[mythtv-users] first build, $695 - extra eyes, please

[Brian Wood]

On Friday 05 June 2009 07:26:20 Stackpole, Chris wrote:
> > From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org [mailto:mythtv-users-
> > bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of Yeechang Lee
> > Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2009 11:40 PM
> > Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] first build, $695 - extra eyes, please
> >
> > Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> says:
> > > That, or the standard DHCP servers included with or available for
> > > most Linux distros. The DHCP servers in a lot of home routers are,
> > > let's say, lacking.
> >
> > I've always used third-party router firmware (currently Tomato) on my
> > WRT54G to get static IPs and other benefits. What, if anything, would
> > I gain by running dnsmasq on one of my Linux boxes?
>
> If you are running Tomato, then you can set up a DHCP reservation based
> on MAC Address. That way it always gets the same IP. It has been over a
> year since my Linksys-converted-to-tomato device died but I know that
> feature is in there somewhere (or was and I don't think it likely they
> took it out). Most firmware has something like this so you shouldn't
> need to do much more then a bit of research on DHCP reservations on your
> firmware.

Having reserverd addresses based on MAC will guarantee that a specific device 
gets a specific IP address, *IF* the DHCP server is running, you have not 
replaced the NIC, the MAC is not being used more than once (Happy Meal cards) 
and a lot of other conditions are met (many of which, admittedly, do not 
apply to an HDHR).

Having a device set up with a static IP requires a lot fewer things to be 
running properly, and is generally simpler and less prone to problems. The 
most common problem is after a power failure, when you might not be sure of, 
or be able to control, the order in which things come up.

It can't be that hard to have the HDHR accept a static IP, but I suppose the 
target market is Mac and Windows users, which have no idea what an IP is.

It's not a major problem, just an annoyance for those of us who like as much 
control as possible over our networks.

-- 
beww
beww at beww.org