Last revision July 9, 2007
If you move your computer back and forth between Earth Sciences buildings and others on campus (such as libraries), then you really would prefer a true dynamic IP address, because your static Earth Sciences IP address will not work in those other buildings. Stanford has solved this problem with a hybrid solution: a static IP address for your base registration in your main location, and a "roaming" temporary IP address when you use your computer in other locations.
This roaming attribute is automatically set in the self-registration procedure, but must be specifically requested in the manual registration form. Obviously, you need to register your computer with this attribute if you plan to take it to a non-Earth Sciences building on campus. You also need this attribute to connect to the wired jacks in the Hartley Conference Center and the Branner Library. Although both of these are in the Mitchell Earth Sciences Building, they are serviced by separate networks and are not part of the Earth Sciences network.
To use roaming service, you must use the DHCP configuration method to set your IP address and parameters. This is called "automatic" configuration in some operating systems. DHCP is the default configuration for all modern computers and the only supported configuration method for Macintosh and Windows PCs. Unix workstations may require special configuration to use DHCP.
When moving from one building to another, you may need to renew your DHCP lease in order to get the new IP address assignment appropriate for the new network.
For more information on roaming IP addresses, including common problems and how to solve them, see this link:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/networking/NetConsult/dhcp.html#roam
NOTE: To use the roaming service to connect your computer in both an on-campus student residence hall and an academic building, it must be registered for its base address in the residence hall. This is a policy of residential computing, which provides only a small number of roaming IP addresses for occasional use. If many students register in their department, it is very likely that the roaming address space in the residences will be exhausted and their computers will not work in the residences. If this applies to you, quit this web page and go to