Network Settings

This window sets the parameters for the client software that communicates with the server using a built-in TCP/IP protocol stack.

Each computer on a TCP/IP network needs a unique IP address so that the network can identify it. An IP address takes the form of four numbers separated by periods (for example, 192.168.0.1). Ghost uses these addresses to specify which computers receive information.

Ghost can obtain IP addresses in one of two ways:

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) simplifies the task of configuring Ghost clients. Using DHCP, a Ghost client can automatically determine its IP address by contacting a DHCP server running on the network. DHCP also provides both the subnet mask and gateway address parameters. Windows NT and NetWare servers are among the operating systems that provide DHCP services.

Static IP addressing

If you select Static IP addressing, the IP address of the Ghost client is stored in the Wattcp.cfg configuration file. This is the only option on networks that do not include DHCP servers. Because the IP addresses are managed manually, ensure that the Ghost client is not given the same address as an existing computer on the network.

Network parameters such as IP address and subnet mask for Symantec Ghost and Dosghsrv.exe are stored in the text file Wattcp.cfg. This file is created by the Ghost Boot Wizard but can be edited on the boot disk manually.

Settings	Description
DHCP will assign the IP settings	Check to use DHCP to obtain network parameters automatically.
The IP settings will be statically defined	Check to statically assign network parameters. The IP address, subnet mask, and gateway addresses must be specified. This is only necessary on networks that do not contain DHCP servers.
First IP address	Specifies the IP address in the standard dotted-decimal notation. No two computers on your network can have the same IP address. If you are using the Ghost Boot Wizard to generate a batch of boot disks, the last number in the IP address is incremented for each disk, ensuring that the address is different on each disk.
Subnet Mask	Specifies the range of IP addresses that are directly accessible from the current IP address. Each of these locally accessible computers becomes a member of the local subnet. A computer is on a different subnet if the IP address is outside of this range of addresses. To communicate with a computer on another subnet, a gateway is used.
Gateway	Specifies the address of the gateway computer in the dotted-decimal notation. The gateway computer acts as a link between two subnets. This value is used by the client to forward packets to computers that are not connected to the same subnet as the client computer. All information that passes between the subnets is forwarded by way of the gateway computer.
DNS Address	Specifies the address of the DNS (Domain Name Server).
Router Hops	Specifies how many routers the client searches across when attempting to find the GhostCast Server. The default value of 10 lets Ghost find the server as long as it is not more than 10 router hops away. This is sufficient for most networks.