Static ip on switch & printer

[sdmf74]

Please excuse me for the simple question but I just set static ip for the first time.
I have a small home network with about 10 or so devices and a netgear gs908e (basic) managed switch.
I recently set aside a pool of ip addresses and set my printer (which is connected to the switch) to have a static ip. Then several days later I went to access my switchs gui & its ip had changed & I could no longer access it so naturally I gave it the next static ip address.

Is it ok to have my printer on a static ip connected to my switch which also has a static ip?
Both are from the pool I created outside DHCP range of course. All other devices on the 8 way switch do not have static ips

Thinkin about giving my tivo (also connected to the switch) a static ip too.
Cause when I cast videos from my phone to the tivo my phone shows like 5 identical listings for the same tivo box & I have to click the right one or the stream to the tivo doesnt start. (Im not sure if a static ip would resolve the multiple listing issue or not though).

Next question im sure has been asked a million times but with my small network would it be better to keep this setup or do DHCP reservations in the RT-AC86u for these devices instead & why?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Firstly, I'm assuming that you're using the term "static" correctly. i.e. the IP address is set manually on the client device's network interface.

Is it ok to have my printer on a static ip connected to my switch which also has a static ip?

That's no problem.

Thinkin about giving my tivo (also connected to the switch) a static ip too.
Cause when I cast videos from my phone to the tivo my phone shows like 5 identical listings for the same tivo box & I have to click the right one or the stream to the tivo doesnt start. (Im not sure if a static ip would resolve the multiple listing issue or not though).

It's not unusual for such devices to present themselves as multiple items because each item represents a different function. My TV appears as 4 different items.

Next question im sure has been asked a million times but with my small network would it be better to keep this setup or do DHCP reservations in the RT-AC86u for these devices instead & why?

Generally it's whatever makes most sense to you personally. With so few devices there's not a lot of difference. The more devices you have on the network the stronger the argument for having as many of them as possible controlled centrally by DHCP. If you later decide to change your network design it's much easier to do it on one central place rather than having to physically visit each device to reconfigure it.

That said, "infrastructure" devices are usually excluded from DHCP and setup statically. These are devices that you want to still function even if your DHCP server has stopped working. This would typically just be servers and switches.

Note that I would still create reservations in DHCP for the static devices. Even though they are "dummy" entries it's useful because a) it stops DHCP giving that IP address to another client, b) it creates a DNS record for the client (assuming Merlin's firmware), and c) it's an aide-memoire of which static IP addresses are in use (so you don't have to record them in some different place).

 

[sdmf74]

Firstly, I'm assuming that you're using the term "static" correctly. i.e. the IP address is set manually on the client device's network interface.

That's no problem.

It's not unusual for such devices to present themselves as multiple items because each item represents a different function. My TV appears as 4 different items.

Generally it's whatever makes most sense to you personally. With so few devices there's not a lot of difference. The more devices you have on the network the stronger the argument for having as many of them as possible controlled centrally by DHCP. If you later decide to change your network design it's much easier to do it on one central place rather than having to physically visit each device to reconfigure it.

That said, "infrastructure" devices are usually excluded from DHCP and setup statically. These are devices that you want to still function even if your DHCP server has stopped working. This would typically just be servers and switches.

Note that I would still create reservations in DHCP for the static devices. Even though they are "dummy" entries it's useful because a) it stops DHCP giving that IP address to another client, b) it creates a DNS record for the client (assuming Merlin's firmware), and c) it's an aide-memoire of which static IP addresses are in use (so you don't have to record them in some different place).

Yes I set the static ips from the tivo itself and the gui of the printer and switch.

Well its only 3 devices for now but I may set my desktop pc to static as well.
When you say to create reservations in DHCP for the static devices that wont cause any issues? I ask because I thought DHCP reservations were for ip addresses within the pool and static ips for outside the pool.
For instance I left the top end of ips from 240-254 as outside the DHCP range for static devices.
Its ok to set reservations on these static devices such as 241, 242, 243?

Also DHCP reservations is the same thing as MAC and IP Address Binding correct?

 

[ColinTaylor]

For instance I left the top end of ips from 240-254 as outside the DHCP range for static devices.

That's quite a normal and sensible approach.

Its ok to set reservations on these static devices such as 241, 242, 243?

dnsmasq doesn't place any restrictions on whether a reserved IP address is inside or outside of the pool, so long as it's somewhere within the subnet. Whether you choose use the DHCP interface as a way to record your use of static IP addresses is purely one of administrative convenience.

Also DHCP reservations is the same thing as MAC and IP Address Binding correct?

Maybe, probably. Different people use terms to mean different things. Case in point; Asus' user interface where the translation into English can be confusing or downright misleading.

 

[sdmf74]

Great I couldnt find that info about reservations anywhere, thanks!

Yep I just ran a quick test & enabled the slider on mac & ip binding for my tivo box and it automatically added my tivo to the heading under manually assigned ip around the DHCP list in the Lan settings menu.

(Sorry im doing everything from my phone right now, my pc is on the workbench taken apart cause im waiting on all new compression fittings).

 

[ColinTaylor]

Ah, OK. I see what you mean about MAC binding. My firmware (John's fork) doesn't have that interface so I'd not seen that option.