This section is about configuring your network.
Network settings
On IP addresses
Most PC's have an IP address assigned automatically. This is done by a device known as DHCP server. Ther is one in your DSL modem, and in your fileserver (if you have one). You PC can even generate an IP address itself if not connected to any other PC.
There is nothing wrong wiht that, when you have got an address from your modem you will probably need one in that range to be able to conenct to the internet. But if you want to conenct other machines to the same network, make sure that they have a network address in the same range, or they will not be able to talk to each other easily.
Machines can talk to each other by name. In that case there is some mechanism of name resolution involved. This mechanism can relate IP addresses to names and help a machine to get the IP to talk to if it knows the machine name.
FsXPand and FsClient assume that you have all your cockpit machines belonging to the same network. Usually you will not be able to connect 192.168.0.1 with 172.18.12.113 or something.
If you can reach a machine from another by Start, run, 'ping 192.168.0.2' or something, we are getting somewhere.
The possible iP ranges for your PC have been assigned for different purposes by international agreement.
Machines on a local network should have an address in the following possible ranges:
Class C Network: 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.255.255
Class B Network: 172.16.0 - 172.31.255.255 netmask 255.255.0.0 (more machines, larger network)
Class A Network: 10.0.0.1 - 10.255.255.255 netmask 255.0.0.0 (more machines, still larger network)
So local machines are usually numbered 192.168.0.0, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.0.2 or 10.0.0.1, 10.0.0.2, and so on.
The 10.0.0.1 range is often used for DSL or cable modems. In many cases, that is when your FS machine is connected with the Internet through a cable or DSL modem.
If you need to change the IP address of FsXpand, just type another one in the box. This may be necessary if FsClient reports you FS machine to have another IP that FsXPand did find initially.
You can see what IP addresses are assigned to your PC as follows:
On Windows XP or later, start, run, cmd. In the appearing black box, type 'ipconfig'. Now you will see your IP addresses displayed. Write them down. Do this with the IP addresses of your FsClient PC's as well.
You will see a selection box with ppp and ethernet adapters. You need one of the IP's of one of your ethernet adapters.
(There was a time when PC's did have only one ethernet IP address, but now we have to account for multiple IP addresses.)
Whenever you have changed an IP address of a PC, reboot that one, and preferably all PC's on that network!