Static IP vs DHCP

[jlindquist74]

Originally Posted by andrewthomas

Couldn't agree with this more. At the end of the day, mDNS (DHCP) doesn't buy you much.

Please don't use those terms as if they mean the same thing. They really, truly, vastly DO NOT.

Greatly simplified:

• DHCP is how a host, lacking its own address, asks a server to assign it one. (It requires a DHCP server to be present somewhere on the local network in order to work.)
  
• mDNS is how a host, lacking the address of another host on the local network, asks that other host to provide its address. (It does NOT require a server to work.)

How those protocols are implemented and used varies with the operating system. Of course, Windows has peculiar issues about mDNS, which complicates things. It certainly keeps our work from being boring!

[Conor Ryan]

always static IPs. Its like using mail with a full mailing address then Zip Code + 4, using DHCP is like "Please mr. postman please deliver me to mr. rio. I promise i paid postage." It is in your own network so just make it specific.

[andrewthomas]

Originally Posted by jlindquist74

Please don't use those terms as if they mean the same thing. They really, truly, vastly DO NOT.

Greatly simplified:

• DHCP is how a host, lacking its own address, asks a server to assign it one. (It requires a DHCP server to be present somewhere on the local network in order to work.)
  
• mDNS is how a host, lacking the address of another host on the local network, asks that other host to provide its address. (It does NOT require a server to work.)

How those protocols are implemented and used varies with the operating system. Of course, Windows has peculiar issues about mDNS, which complicates things. It certainly keeps our work from being boring!

Yes, this is true. I was merely relating this option back to OPs original "Static IP vs DHCP".

[AustinSchuh]

Originally Posted by jlindquist74

• DHCP is how a host, lacking its own address, asks a server to assign it one. (It requires a DHCP server to be present somewhere on the local network in order to work.)
  
• mDNS is how a host, lacking the address of another host on the local network, asks that other host to provide its address. (It does NOT require a server to work.)

The fun one is what happens when you plug your DS into the robot (a network without a DHCP server). Turns out, you get a link local IPv6 address which can be found via mDNS, allowing the two devices to communicate. Sometimes, if you are luck and everything works. We just gave up debugging the various issues we ran into and put everything on static IP addresses.