<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      type="topic" style="task"
      id="net-fixed-ip-address">
  <info>
    <link type="guide" xref="net-wired"/>

    <revision pkgversion="3.2" date="2011-09-26" status="final"/>

    <credit type="author">
      <name>Jim Campbell</name>
      <email>jwcampbell@gmail.com</email>
    </credit>

    <desc>Using a static IP address can make it easier to administer some network services.</desc>
    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
  </info>

  <title>Create a connection with a fixed IP address</title>

 <p>Most networks will automatically assign an IP address and other details to your computer when you connect to the network. These details can change periodically, but you might want to have a fixed IP address for the computer so you always know what its address is (for example, if it is a file server).</p>
  <p>To give your computer a fixed (static) IP address:</p>

<steps>
<item><p>Click the <gui>network icon</gui> on the <gui>top bar</gui> and select <gui>Network Settings</gui>.</p></item>
<item><p>Select the network connection from the list (<gui>Wired</gui> or <gui>Wireless</gui>) and click <gui>Configure</gui>.</p></item>
<item><p>Click on the <gui>IPv4 Settings</gui> tab and change the <gui>Method</gui> to <em>Manual</em>.</p></item>
<item><p>If no connection information is listed in the <gui>Addresses</gui> list, or if you want to set up a new connection, click <gui>Add</gui>.</p></item>
<item><p>Enter the <em>IP Address</em>, <em>Netmask</em>, and <em>Gateway</em> information into the appropriate boxes. How you choose these will depend on your network setup; there are specific rules governing which IP addresses and netmasks are valid for a given network.</p></item>
<item><p>If necessary, enter a <em>Domain Name Server</em> address into the <gui>DNS servers</gui> box. This is the IP address of a server which looks up domain names; most corporate networks and internet providers have dedicated DNS servers.</p></item>
<item><p>Click <gui>Save</gui>. The network connection should now have a fixed IP address.</p></item>
</steps>

</page>
