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Configure TCP/IP settings

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 7

You can use this procedure to configure the TCP/IP settings for each of your network connections.

Each connection can be configured to use IPv4 or IPv6, or both.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.

You can use the following methods to configure TCP/IP settings:

  • To configure TCP/IPv4

  • To configure TCP/IPv6

To configure TCP/IPv4

  1. Open the Network Connections folder and view available connections.

  2. Right-click the connection that you want to configure, and then click Properties.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • If the connection is a local area connection, on the General tab, in This connection uses the following items, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.

    • If the connection is a dial-up, VPN, or broadband connection, on the Networking tab, in This connection uses the following items, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.

    • If the connection is an incoming connection, see Configure an Incoming Connection to use TCP/IP.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • If you want IP settings to be assigned automatically by a DHCP server, VPN server, or other device that provides DHCP services that is installed on the network to which you’re connecting, click Obtain an IP address automatically, and then click OK.

    • If you want to specify an IPv4 address or a Domain Name Service (DNS) server address, do the following:

      Click Use the following IP address, and then in IP address, type the IP address, and an appropriate subnet mask and default gateway address.

      Click Use the following DNS server addresses, and then in Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server, type the addresses of the primary and secondary DNS servers.

  5. To configure DNS, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), and IP settings, click Advanced.

  6. On a local area connection, selecting the Obtain an IP address automatically option enables the Alternate Configuration tab. Use this to enter alternate IP settings if your computer is used on more than one network. To configure DNS, WINS, and IP settings, click User configured on the Alternate Configuration tab.

Additional considerations

  • Use automated IP settings (DHCP) whenever possible for all connections because they eliminate the need to configure settings such as IP address, DNS server address, and WINS server address.

  • The Alternate Configuration settings specify a second set of IP settings that are used when a DHCP server is not available. This is very useful for portable computer users who often switch between two different network environments such as DHCP and static IP network environments.

To configure TCP/IPv6

  1. Open the Network Connections folder and view available connections.

  2. Right-click the connection you want to configure, and then click Properties.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • On a LAN, wireless, VPN, or dial-up connection, on the Networking tab, in This connection uses the following items, click Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), and then click Properties.

    • If the connection is an incoming connection, see Configure an Incoming Connection to use TCP/IP.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • If you want IP settings to be assigned automatically, click Obtain an IPv6 address automatically, and then click OK.

    • If you want to specify an IPv6 address or a DNS server address, do the following:

      Click Use the following IPv6 address, and then in IPv6 address, type the IP address, and an appropriate prefix length and default gateway address.

      Click Use the following DNS server addresses, and then in Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server, type the addresses of the primary and secondary DNS servers.

  5. To configure advanced IPv6 and DNS settings, click Advanced.

Additional considerations

  • Use automated IP settings (DHCP) whenever possible for all connections because they eliminate the need to configure settings such as IP address, DNS server address, and WINS server address.

  • For more information about IPv6, see Additional Resources.

See Also

Concepts

Configure Network Protocols and Components
Manage Network Connections