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date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:43:26 -0400,
group: microsoft.public.macintosh.general
back
Please explain or simplify my wireless modem for me
I had the iCab browser working for a few minutes and then I had to go
out.
Then it wouldn't work at all.
I think I might have found the problem and the solution now, but I
need to understand what I did, and if possible how to not let it slip
back to where it doesn't work again.
Because I earlier had to make changes in the TCP/IP control panel, I
entered the TCP/IP control panel and it said that the connection had
been changed to Ethernet (but not by me, so how??), and I looked at
the list of choices it could be, and I think I had changed it to
Orinoco the lasttime (and that is the software for this wireless
card).
So I changed it to Orinoco again, and then there's a box that wants
to know how to configure.
The drop down menu gave the choices of using the bootIP server, the
RARP server, the DHCP server, or manually?
Manually wants to know a bunch of other stuff, and the only
abbreviation I recognized is DHCP.
So I chose that and now it wants to know the DHCP Client ID. (I know
I didn't fill that in the last time, and it still worked for a little
bit.)
What is that?
Ok I guess I figured that out. I'm using a D-Link router, DI-524, and
I went to the Home/DHCP page, and it's enabled, and it has a starting
IP address and an ending address,
and a provision for a fixed IP address, that I didn't use because the
default was without a fixed address, as in the paragraph above. But
that section has a box labeled DHCP Client!! And a 12 character
number like a Mac ID. Prefixed by OEM Computer. By OEM, do they mean
the computer it is hardwired to, or what?
Well I put that 12 digit number in the field on the Mac and saved it
(by clicking on the exit box in the upper left corner as the Help
system explained--it does have a great help system that when started,
puts instruction in a box in the lower left and makes red "magic
marker" lines around the box you're supposed to fill in, for example.
If you have turned on "balloons", I think it is.
So it's working again now, but it sure wasn't obvious. And one of
Mac's selling points is that it's easy to use, iirc.
Now, what is my friend, who owns the computer, supposed to do in a
netcafe. He won't know the DHCP client number and neither will the guy
running the cafe, will he. My friend can do it manually but then I
think he has to fill in the IP number, and maybe the submask number
and a couple other numbers. Is this a Macintosh requirement or an
Orinoco one?
Thinking back, when I got this working the first time, I didn't enter
any DHCP client number. And I didn't click on that little box on the
upper left. I don't remember how I got out of that box, although
maybe another box opened up. And maybe that had Save and Cancel
buttons. Or maybe I never got out of the box and maybe that never
saved it so it only worked for that session??? OTOH, isn't it a
general principle of computers that just typing a number in a field
won't do anything until the number is saved somehow?
I wonder if this would be easier with a newer Mac OS?.
If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)
date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:43:26 -0400
author: mm
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