Wikiversity

Link-local address/Windows

< Link-local address

A link-local address is an Internet Protocol address that is intended only for communications within the segment of a local network (a link) or a point-to-point connection that a host is connected to. These activities will show you how to view and test IPv4 link-local addresses in Windows.

Preparation

edit

To prepare for this activity:

  1. Start Windows.
  2. Log in if necessary.

Activity 1 - Confirm DHCP Address

edit
  1. Open a command prompt.
  2. Use ipconfig /all to verify that you have a DHCP-assigned IP address. You should see DHCP Enabled Yes and a DHCP Server IP address. If not, just read along with the following activities rather than completing them.

Activity 2 - Test Internet Connectivity

edit
  1. Use ping 8.8.8.8 to ping an Internet host by IP address.
  2. Observe the results. The ping request should be successful, indicating Internet connectivity.

Activity 3 - Obtain a Link-Local Address

edit

To obtain a link-local address:

  1. Type ipconfig /release and press Enter to release any DHCP-assigned IP addresses.
  2. Observe that no IPv4 address is assigned.
  3. Wait ten seconds and then type ipconfig and press Enter again. Repeat if necessary. After ten seconds, your computer should obtain a link local IP address in the range 169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255 (169.254.0.0/16).
  4. If IPv6 is configured, you should also see a link local IPv6 address starting with fe80::/64.

Activity 4 - Test the Link-Local Address

edit

To test the link-local address:

  1. Use ping 8.8.8.8 to ping an Internet host by IP address.
  2. Observe the results. The ping request should fail, because link-local addresses do not have a default gateway assigned and are not routable to the Internet.

Activity 5 - Restore a DHCP-Assigned Address

edit

To restore a DHCP-assigned address:

  1. Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
  2. Observe the results. An IP address should be assigned from the DHCP server.

Activity 6 - Test Internet Connectivity

edit
  1. Use ping 8.8.8.8 to ping an Internet host by IP address.
  2. Observe the results. The ping request should be successful, indicating Internet connectivity.
  3. Close the command prompt to complete this activity.

See Also

edit

References

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Link-local_address/Windows&oldid=1193744"