Re: Draining the Swamp: A Technical User's Experience

[Alan Cox <alan lxorguk ukuu org uk>]

> Microsoft already went that way (partly): Windows machine automatically
> get an IP address when connected together without dhcp/wins server (in a
> weird range, something like 164.128.x.x but I'm certainly wrong). I've
> seen this on W98 machines, but didn't look at the protocol they used.

I've designed code to do this kind of stuff. The Equiinet NetPilot does
this. You try dhcp queries while listening for traffic for a bit

Then its

	If DHCP -> use DHCP
	If no IP traffic -> become DHCP server on a private range
	If IP traffic -> become quiet
		Search a private range using arp queries
		Select an apparently unused private address favouring 10.0.0.1

Its also possible to guess and prompt the user for the probable name
server, default route, broadcast and sometimes netmask (via icmp query) as
well as a few other things. The netpilot never did this I realised later it
could have done - you just have to be clever 8)