Using a Shared Internet Connection over a LAN with DHCPCESD|200154Applies To
OverviewOnce you have successfully installed your Home Network environment, or wish to move your Handheld PC from your home environment into another network to access the Internet, you will need to ensure that your Handheld PC is configured in such a way that it can connect to and negotiate the network and out onto the Internet. This article overviews the steps involved in using a shared Internet connection over a LAN. More InfoWhen the TCP/IP networking protocol layer was established, one of the biggest problems facing administrators was the process of migrating a network device (PC, PDA, Printer, Server) from one network, or one part of the network to another. Each object on a TCP/IP network requires a series of unique credentials, and information regarding its network environment in order to become an active part of the infrastructure. These details had to be entered manually, with network administrators having to create, manage and remember schema for the network and every device connected to it. In an attempt to radically simplify the administrative procedures, a new protocol was added by the IETF in to the TCP/IP standard. Named Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP for short. The new network layer was designed to allow network client devices to obtain the majority of their network information directly from a network server running a DHCP host. DHCP uses the TCP/IP broadcast channels (effectively a configuration and chatter area for non-client related data) to send a request out onto any available network asking for configuration details. When received by a listening server, the DHCP host allocates network resources from a database and sends back remote time leased configuration information for that particular network device.
Users who have followed the HPC:Factor networking beginners guides, and the Internet Connection Sharing guides will almost certainly wish to make use of automatically configurable networking for their Handheld PC. This is especially important if you are using a Wireless Network, where manually configuring network settings is often not even possible. For users of Microsoft Internet Connection SharingUpon completing the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) configuration under Windows 98SE, Windows Millennium, Windows 2000 or Windows XP and rebooting your computer. Your ICS Host PC will automatically be configured to provide DHCP support to your Network. ICS uses the 192.168.0.x IP range on a 255.255.255.0 subnet. While it is possible to change this range on some of the Windows versions, the process is beyond the scope of these beginners guides. The ICS Host is the only PC on the network which requires a static IP address, and this is automatically configured by the ICS wizard. For users of a Hardware Router solutionAnyone with a hardware Dial-up, ISDN, Cable or xDSL router solution will have the necessary capability to provide DHCP to your network using the router. In many cases the DHCP functionality of the router will not be enabled by default and may not have any configuration information. Router users should explore the availability of firmware updates before attempting to configure their router, as such updates can improve reliability and stability as well as add new features. Consult with the users manual and quick start guide which came with your router on the steps involved in accessing the web / telnet configuration interface to begin setting up the DHCP server. Unlike in an ICS setup, where the ICS Host becomes a manually addressed. With a router based configuration there is no requirement for a PC on the network to be statically addressed. This role is performed by the router, negating the need to permanently keep the host PC running. How-to GuideOnce your Internet Connection Sharing system, or hardware router has been setup successfully. The configuration of the Handheld PC to make use of the DHCP server is a simple one.
If you are unsure of whether your device has obtained an IP address from the DHCP server, you can use a third party utility such as the IP utility in the H/PC Plus Pack, or a dedicated program such as Cambridge Computing's vxUtil. TroubleshootingIf you are experiencing trouble connecting your Handheld PC to a DHCP server, the first sign will usually be when Windows CE displays an error alerting you to the fact that it has been unable to contact a DHCP server. If soft resetting, and ejecting/reinserting the adapter does not resolve the problem then you should investigate whether the DHCP is working with other computers on the network. If another computer is successful in obtaining an IP address, the most likely cause of the problem is the Driver or the cable in the case of a Wired LAN adapter, or in the case of a Wireless adapter a Security / Interference problem. Always ensure that your adapter is compatible with your version of Windows CE (CE 2.0, 2.11, 4.2), version of the H/PC platform (H/PC Pro, HPC2000) and the processor (SH3, MIPS, StrongARM) in your device. Suitable drivers should be located to match all three. |