[UCLA-LUG] static IP's in dorms

[Byron Ellis]

On Wed, 15 Sep 1999 dannys@csua.ucla.edu wrote:

> There is another reason for DHCP.  It allows them to save IP
> addresses... which is somewhat of a precious commodity.  Many ISPs are
> going this route as well (if they haven't already)...  Lots of DSL
> services, for example, allowed static IPs as a matter of course.  But
> they're now considering dynamic IP assignments.  Personally, I do see
> the UCLA dorms as an ISP service.  If only they'd treat it (at least)
> like ISPs do (you can run whatever you want, but don't expect help
> from us if you run into problems).

They're nervous about legal action (as I've said) so I'm not surprised
they'd take a conservative route. I've noticed a lot of ISPs (@Home being
a prime example) also disallow servers for the "Home" policies:

(http://www.home.com/qa.htm#server)

Can I attach a server to your network?
No. The @Home service is for residential, casual use only and does not
support or allow servers of any kind from the home. At this time, @Work
offers products that allow the kind of connectivity a server requires.
Please visit @Work at work.home.net. 



> 
> That's the main (non-cynical) reason I can see for them choosing
> dynamic IP.  Also it makes Windows computers easier to set up.  Which
> (despite most of our distaste for it) is the most common OS they have
> on their network.

Windows commentary aside (Personally, I don't really care which OS I'm
using-- as long as I can do the job I need to do.) I'm sure this entered
into their thinking-- especially next weekend when they're gonna have
thousands of people breatheing down their necks. :-)

 > 
> The DNS issue is annoying, yes... but there are plenty of free dynamic
> DNS services out there.  So I can't see that as their main reason for
> stomping Linux users.  Also, DNS isn't really a service that's
> critical to anyone in the dorms.  It's more of a luxury (at least in
> this context).
> 
> What might be related to Linux-discrimination is setting the frequency
> of dynamic IP assignment to be so high that you can't simply reboot
> and expect the same IP address.  The effect is that it becomes more
> difficult to maintain publicly available servers (eg. DNS takes time
> to propagate).

*shrug* DNS propagation time affects all users, Linux and otherwise so I
doubt its against Linux personally (besides, refreshing IP address of Win*
boxes doesn't always work correctly either so setting the refresh rate
really high will just boost complain calls-- my guess is they set it to
somewhere between 2-8 hours)

---
"There is an ineffable quality to some technology, described
by its creators as cocinnitous, or technically sweet, or a 
nice hack-- signs that it was made with great care by one who
was not merely motivated but inspired. It is the difference
between an engineer and a hacker"
	- Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age

 byron@mbi.ucla.edu * Byron Ellis * Chris Lee Lab * x44026