On 11/2/18 8:49 PM, David Wright wrote:
On Fri 02 Nov 2018 at 20:11:03 (-0700), David Christensen wrote:On 11/2/18 6:24 PM, David Wright wrote:On Fri 02 Nov 2018 at 07:05:16 (-0400), Michael Stone wrote:On Thu, Nov 01, 2018 at 10:12:36PM -0500, David Wright wrote:BTW in a network set up like my own, the place where the MAC would be relevant is in the DHCP server (here, the router) because that is how the IP number is assigned. An unassigned MAC will get given an IP address 192.168.1.200+, and it will conect to the Internet, but other machines on the LAN would not recognise it. (Although the router can hand out IP numbers, it doesn't run a nameserver.)If you do something strange on your network, the assumption is that you're responsible for updating it for new machines. It's not something that needs to be in a general guide.I agree with that sentiment. But what is strange about my setup? Perhaps you can help me find a less idiosyncratic way. Condition #1: All devices at home must be addressable by name. Condition #2: Several devices cannot have a static IP address assigned. For example, this PC is 192.168.1.17 at home. Currently it is 172.20.5.105; last night it was 10.0.27.15. So at home, all the IP addresses are assigned by the router using the devices' MACs. The computers use /etc/hosts to look up other devices. The non-"computers" use the router's IP address for their configuration. What would you change?Buy or build a router with a caching name server that integrates with the DHCP server. Configure the LAN devices to use DHCP. Set DHCP fixed leases on the router for devices that require a static IP.You misunderstood my question. I'm meant to have done something "strange" with my network and wanted to know how to "rectify" the situation, not how to throw cash at it. BTW all the devices are currently configured using DHCP; that's what I meant by "assigned by the router".
What is strange is that your router does not have a caching name server that integrates with the DHCP server. This is a common and useful feature. Not having it forces work-around's like putting LAN host IP's into the /etc/hosts files of every other LAN host, which is a PITA to maintain. Alternatively, implement your own integrated DHCP server and caching DNS server.
Low-cost solutions include:1. Router appliance -- re-flashing the firmware with a FOSS firmware distribution like DD-WRT.
2. Home-brew router using a PC -- installing a second NIC and a Linux or BSD router distribution like IPCop or pfSense.
I tried the former on an older Netgear device and it worked. But when I later tried to flash an upgrade, I bricked it.
I ran home-brew PC routers for years. This approach gives you the most control, and pfSense rocks. But, I burned up a lot of energy, made a lot of noise, and generated a lot of heat. Unfortunately, ITX PC's with dual NIC's are too expensive.
So, I researched commercial products, asked around on Linux and BSD lists, and bought Ubiquiti Networks UniFi stuff:
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi-routing/usg/
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
I run the UniFi SDN Controller server on Debian:
https://www.ubnt.com/download/unifi/
What do you mean by "The non-"computers" use the router's IP address for
their configuration"?
David