User guide

Identifying Your Network Settings
User Guide 13
• The Firebox X Edge serial number. Find this number on the
bottom of the Firebox.
You use the serial number to register the Firebox.
• An Internet connection.
The Internet connection can be a cable or DSL modem, an ISDN router,
or a direct LAN connection.
Identifying Your Network Settings
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) gives computers an Internet Proto-
col (IP) address. An ISP can give you a static or dynamic IP address.
A static address is an address that does not change. A dynamic
address is an address that can change each time you connect to the
Internet.
Your ISP gives you an IP address in one of three ways:
• Static: Web servers, FTP sites, and other Internet resources with
addresses that cannot change get static IP addresses.
• DHCP: ISPs use the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) to give dynamic IP addresses to computers. Each time
you connect to the ISP, a DHCP server can give you a different
IP address.
• PPPoE: ISPs use Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)
to give dynamic and static IP addresses to computers. A user
name and passphrase are necessary for PPPoE.
An ISP can also give computers a network mask (netmask). A net-
mask is a series of bits that "mask" certain portions of an IP address.
This is used to divide an organization's network into smaller units,
creating additional destinations for routing purposes.
Read your DSL or cable modem instructions or call your ISP to learn
which type of IP address you have.
Learning your TCP/IP properties
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the pri-
mary protocol computers use to connect to the Internet. Make sure
that your computer is connected to your ISP and you can browse
Web pages on the Internet.
N OTE N OTE
If your ISP gives your computer an IP address of 10.0.0.0/8 or one
that starts with 192.168 or 172.16 to 172.31, then your ISP uses