Step 4. Click Advanced to bring up the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box previously shown in Figure 6-2 (settings for IPv6 will not have a WINS tab).
Step 5. Click the DNS tab to display the available DNS settings, which are identical to those found in the DNS tab for IPv4 described previously and shown in Figure 6-3. Click Add under the DNS Server Addresses section to add the IPv6 addresses of additional DNS servers, as required.
Step 6. To specify additional DNS servers, click the Add button under the
DNS server addresses section, type the IPv6 address to the additional DNS server, and then click Add.
Step 7. As was the case with IPv4, if you need additional DNS suffixes to specify the FQDN of resources, click the Append These DNS Suffixes (in Order) option. Then click the Add button to configure the DNS suffixes.
Step 8. For a DNS server that provides Dynamic DNS, and when you want to share files or printers from your computer, you should register your
computer’s DNS name and IP address in the DNS database. To do so, select the Register This Connection’s Addresses in DNS check box.
Step 9. Click OK until you're returned to the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box.
Note
DNS name resolution in IPv6 operates in a manner similar to that previously mentioned for IPv4, except that DNS servers use AAAA resource records to hold the hostname to IPv6 address mapping, as opposed to A records used for IPv4 mapping.
Disabling IPv6
You cannot remove IPv6 from a Windows 10 computer. However, you can disable IPv6 on a specific connection. From the Ethernet Properties dialog box, clear the check box beside Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and then click OK. You can do this selectively for each network connection on your computer.
Note
You can also selectively disable IPv6 components. This is a more complex procedure that involves editing the Registry and is beyond the scope of this book. For more details, refer to “How to Disable IPv6 or Its Components in
Windows" at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929852.
Connecting to a Wired Network
Windows 10 simplifies the process of connecting to diverse types of
networks, including wired and wireless networks. In this section, you learn about connecting your computer to wired networks. Chapter 8, "Windows 10 Data Security," extends this discussion to include methods used for
connecting to and securing wireless networks. In Windows 10, you can quickly obtain a view of available network devices by opening File Explorer Network. The Network Explorer applet displays this information, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Figure 6-4. Network App in Windows 10 Displaying Several Types of Networked Devices
The Network and Sharing Center
First introduced in Windows Vista and continued in Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10, the Network and Sharing Center, shown in Figure 6-5, brings all networking tasks together in a single convenient location. You can configure connections to other computers and networks, share folders,
printers, and media, view devices on your network, set up and manage network connections, and troubleshoot problems from this location.
Figure 6-5. Network and Sharing Center Providing a Centralized Location for Configuring Network Properties
You can open the Network and Sharing Center by using any of the following methods:
• If you have the Network window open as previously shown in Figure 8-1, click the icon for the Network and Sharing Center on the menu bar.
• Access the Search box or Cortana and type network. From the icons displayed, click Network and Sharing Center.
• Open the Network icon from Action Center and click Network Settings.
On the Settings page, click the Network and Sharing Center link.
The Network and Sharing Center enables you to configure connections to other computers and networks, share folders, printers, and media, view devices on your network, set up and manage network connections, and troubleshoot connectivity problems.
Using the Network and Sharing Center to Set Up a TCP/IPv4 Connection
You can configure TCP/IP version 4 on a Windows 10 computer either manually or dynamically. The default method is to dynamically configure TCP/IP. If the infrastructure includes DHCP services that deliver IP
addresses to network computers, a Windows 10 computer can connect upon logon with the default configuration of the network adapter. However, if you need to apply a static IPv4 address and other parameters, your only option is to manually configure the network adapter. Manually configuring a single computer is time-consuming and error-prone. Multiply that by hundreds of
computers and you can see why dynamic configuration has become so popular. Use the following procedure to configure a network adapter with a static IPv4 address:
Step 1. Open the Network and Sharing Center by any of the methods described in the previous section.
Step 2. From the Tasks list on the left side of the Network and Sharing Center, click Change Adapter Settings. This opens the Network Connections dialog box, as shown in Figure 6-6.
Figure 6-6. Network Connections Displaying the Network Connections Configured for Your Computer
Step 3. Right-click the connection that represents the adapter you are going to configure and select Properties. If you receive a User Account Control (UAC) prompt, click Yes. The Ethernet Properties dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 6-7.
Figure 6-7. Network Adapter Is Considered a Network Connection
Step 4. Click to select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). (You might need to scroll through other services to reach this item.) Click Properties.
The Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog opens, as shown previously in Figure 6-1.
Step 5. To use DHCP services, you should make certain that Obtain an IP Address Automatically is selected, and if the DHCP server provides extended information—including the DNS server information—you would also select Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically. To manually configure the IP address, you should click Use the Following IP Address.
Step 6. In the IP address box, type the address that will function on the
current network segment. For example, if the network segment uses a Class C address 192.168.1.0 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and you’ve already used 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2, you could select any node address from 3 through 254 (255 is used for broadcasts), in which case you would type 192.168.1.3.
Step 7. In the Subnet Mask box, type the subnet mask. In this case, it would be 255.255.255.0.
Step 8. In the Default gateway box, type the IP address that is assigned to the router interface on your current segment that leads to the main network or the public network. In this case, the IP address of the router on your segment is 192.168.1.1, and the IP address of the router’s other interface is 12.88.54.179.
In the Default Gateway box, you would type 192.168.1.1.
Step 9. To configure an alternate IP address on a computer configured to use DHCP, click the Alternate Configuration tab to display the dialog box shown in Figure 6-8. Click User Configured and then enter the required IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS and WINS server
information. Then click OK. This is useful if your computer must connect to different networks, such as work and home.
Figure 6-8. TCP/IPv4 Alternate Configuration Tab
Step 10. Click the Advanced button. The Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box opens, as shown previously in Figure 6-2.
Step 11. If you require more than one IP address for a computer, such as for hosting two different websites, you can configure the additional IP addresses in this dialog box by clicking the Add button under IP addresses. You cannot configure any additional IP addresses if you are using DHCP.
Step 12. If your network segment is connected to more than one router leading to the main or outside networks, you can configure these gateway addresses in the Default Gateways section by clicking the Add button.
Step 13. When finished, click OK until you're returned to the Network Connections dialog box.
Tip
Many hardware routers, including those used when connecting home
networks to high-speed Internet connections, include DHCP functionality. If you are using one of these, leave the defaults selected in step 5 of the
preceding procedure.
Implementing APIPA
The Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing (APIPA) system
provides an alternate configuration to DHCP for automatic IP addressing in small networks. When a computer uses APIPA, Windows 10 assigns itself an IP address and then verifies that it is unique on the local network. To work
effectively, APIPA is useful only on a small local area network (LAN) or as a backup to DHCP.
When a Windows 10 computer begins its network configuration, it performs the following procedures:
Step 1. It checks to see whether there is a manually configured (or static) IP address.
Step 2. If there is none, it contacts a DHCP server with a query for
configuration settings. A response from a DHCP server leases—or validates the lease of—an IP address, subnet mask, and extended IP information, such as DNS server, default gateway, and so on.
Step 3. If there is no DHCP server response within six seconds, Windows 10 looks to see whether an alternate configuration has been applied by the
administrator.
Step 4. If there is no alternate configuration, Windows 10 uses APIPA to define an IP address unique on the LAN.
APIPA defines its IP addresses in the range of 169.254.0.1 to
169.254.255.254. The subnet mask on these addresses is configured as 255.255.0.0. You do have administrative control over APIPA. When Windows 10 selects an address from this range, it performs a duplicate address detection process to ensure that the IP address it has selected is not already being used, while continuing to query for a DHCP server in the background. If the address is found to be in use, Windows 10 selects another address. The random IP selection occurs recursively until an unused IP
address is selected, a DHCP server is discovered, or the process has taken place 10 times.
Connecting to a TCP/IP Version 6 Network
You can let IPv6 configure itself automatically with a link-local address described previously in Table 6-5. You can also configure IPv6 to use an existing DHCP server or manually configure an IPv6 address as required.
Configuration of IPv6 addresses is similar to the procedure used with
configuration of IPv4 addresses, as the following procedure shows:
Step 1. Open the Network and Sharing Center by any of the methods previously described.
Step 2. From the Tasks list on the left side of the Network and Sharing Center, click Change Adapter Settings. This opens the Network Connections dialog box, as previously shown in Figure 6-6.
Step 3. Right-click the connection that represents the adapter you are going to configure and select Properties. If you receive a UAC prompt, click Yes.
Step 4. Click to select Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). (You might need to scroll through other services to reach this item.) Click Properties.
The Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) Properties dialog opens, as shown in Figure 6-9.
Figure 6-9. Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) Properties Lets You Define Manual or Dynamic IPv6 Address Information
Step 5. To use DHCP, ensure that the Obtain an IPv6 Address Automatically radio button is selected. If the DHCP server provides DNS server
information, ensure that the Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically radio button is also selected. You can also select these options to configure IPv6 automatically with a link-local address using the address prefix fe80::/64 previously described in Table 6-5.