[Greg McKaskle]

The less vague description is that the 1-05-11 DS used add and delete to update IP settings for the wifi and LAN NIC. This was done so that computers with multiple LAN cards, or perhaps multiple wifi cards could more easily swap configuration. The DS would add the IPs it needed, and would later delete them if the team number changed or if the NIC changed.

The new DS 2-28-11 uses set to update the IP values. If a NIC is no longer being used, the DS sets the IP to DHCP.

The Jan. edition generally works fine, but on certain laptops has a tendency to collect IP addresses on the NICs. This can be seen using "netsh interface ip show ipaddresses" for Win7, and show config for XP. You can also view them using the IPV4 adapter settings and clicking on the Advanced tab.

If a DS has multiple 10.xx.yy.zz addresses assigned to the LAN, this can cause the DS to fail to connect to the field. The DS will look for responses on one IP and the field may send them on another.

If your laptop connects to the field with 1-05-11, your IPs are good, or you got lucky. If it doesn't connect to the field, verify you do not still have the 10-22 version from the initial classmate image, check for the correct IP address and only one IP address. If you update to the 2-27 edition, it does this for you.

Other precautions you may want to take with your DS at the event -- especially if this is your own laptop ...
* Disable the wifi adapter. It will save power, cut down on traffic, and prevent the laptop from joining any "trusted" networks that are in the profile cache.
* Relax the firewall settings, or disable the firewall entirely.
* Ensure that you have a Driver account and are logged into it when you go to the field. If your DS has a title bar, the account is not Driver.

Greg McKaskle