Problem With Static IP and Internet Access

I want to set a static IP on a computer but that inhibits Internet access. The computer is connected to a Linksys router, which uses DHCP to assign a dynamic IP address to all computers.

I expected to be able to just change the dynamic address from something like 192.168.1.100 to a static address like 192.168.1.85. I can communicate with other computers on the network after this change but the Internet connection doesn't work. Forcing a static IP address of 192.168.1.100, which is in the DHCP range doesn't help.

What's missiing? What's the difference between a static IP and a dynamic IP as far as talking to the Internet is concerned?

I guess that's a simple DNS problem. Check to see if you can browse to: http://66.102.9.104 . If you can, but can't access domain names, go to the website for your ISP. Find out the IP addresses of their two DNS servers. Once you've got these addresses, set them in the properties for the NIC.

If this doesn't work, make sure that you specify the default gateway to the address of the router.

All that you say has come to pass.

After I set the static IP I could not get on the Internet with just DNS entries - I needed the gateway (192.168.1.1). But then I deleted the DNS info figuring the router already logged on - after all what are gateways good for? But that didn't work either.

So I can get on the Internet with a static IP address. What will the world come to? Feel the ground shake.

Only one thing, I can't understand why I need to set the DNS entries after the static IP address is set. After all, the router knows the IP address and acts as an intermediate device between the computer and the Internet.

One of the main reasons I never looked favorably on a career as a sysadmin is the cascading requirements. I am refering to situations in general here. Even if I set n minus one settings but overlook one setting the whole system might fail. The greatest problem is that these settings were never laid out in a list beforehand. I had to go to a lot of trouble just to find one parameter after the next. The most frightening thing - what I want to accomplish is very ordinary so there should be some documentation on the scenario. That would help anyone start with generic ideas and then advance to trickier things. Troubleshooting wizards are fine things, but documentation producers should take note - people want to know about generic situations and how to set things up that way. Too often I read threads on this forum about very commonplace attempts going wrong. That just wastes time for a lot of people trying to do something everyone else is doing but having to discover independently how to do that.

Well you've got the Internet working in the end

I don't know why the router can't handle the DNS itself. It just gives you more flexibility so that you don't have to use the router, but can use internal DNS servers - for example in an Active Directory network.

Dynamic IP's provide network adapters with appropriate network information.(Provided the DCHP Server is configred properly) In your case, your linksys will provide you with IP, SubnetMask, Default Gateway and DNS information.

Static IP's are up to you to configure. The reason why you couldnt surf under static was because there was no DNS entry.

Usualy with a Linksys setup, you want to configure the Linksys itself with the proper DNS entries and then point the DNS information from any machine with a static entry to the Linksys(Default Gateway).

Another way to do it, provided the routing is working properly, is to put the DNS entries directly on the PC with the static address(same DNS entries on the Linksys).

You have to remember that there are many components to TCP/IP. DNS and Default Gateways are seperate but are depended on eachother for you to surf. DNS resolves names to IP's and DG's find you a way to get there.

Hope this helps,