Printer IP address change

Usual solution would be one of the following…

• using mDNS (mDNS, which avoids specifying the IP address), and the DHCP server issues an IP address from the pool, and the printer clients use the printername.local name…
• connecting the DHCP server to the DNS server and dynamically associating a DNS name with the printer (DDNS, which avoids specifying the IP address)…
• Using the printer MAC address to manually assign a static address, and manually adding the entry into the local DNS server…

Larger networks can segment mDNS to avoid multicast traffic, but so long as you’re on the same subnet client and printer both, it’ll typically work.

If your IT organization is squatting in .local top-level domain due to a now-ancient and since-rescinded Microsoft Bad Idea, mDNS can be flaky.

If you’re assigning your own uncoordinated IPv4 addresses manually, you, um, you really don’t have a particularly functional IT organization. If you’re operating in that world, use DHCP, or get a pool of reserved addresses for your own use, or use IPv6. And use mDNS or DNS where available, as manually-assigned uncoordinated IPv4 addresses often (always?) ends badly.

tinmanjc wrote:

I guess what everyone is saying here is that in normal circumstances, I should be able to edit the address but it’s because a DNS server (or whatever you call it) is being used and has prevented this ability.

The purpose of mDNS and of DNS is to avoid using IP addresses, because IP addresses can change.

Using the name allows the device to be located without resorting to what can be conflicting IP address assignments, or coordinated static (fixed) address assignments.

Your own local IP address allocation efforts and those of your IT group efforts are seemingly uncoordinated, and that lack of coordination likely ends in conflict.

Often ending in network address conflict, and variously also organizational or managerial conflict.

Contact your network administration group, and request their assistance.

Not in a corporate setting, but I create a static DHCP IP address for the printer that is below the usual DHCP IP address range. As long as the router is up, which is short of a power outage, that printer never loses its static IP address.

I'm curious as to why you don't use the router's binding to assign the static address so it sticks even if you cycle power on the router. I use it to assign static IP addresses to peripherals like NAS and printers in an IP address range which I have firewalled off from the internet using the router's firewall.

Like this, you mean?

Just go to System Settings/Printers/Add Printer and hit the globe tab at the top.

If your problem is that you don't know the printer address then call IT or get an app like IP Scanner to scan your local network for devices.

Zurarczurx wrote:

I was asking VikingOS. Judging by their answers on these boards they seem to know what they are doing so I was just curious about their setup. I'm a gross amateur when it comes to network stuff and thought that maybe I could learn something.

If you’re running a home lab and want to learn more about networking, Ubiquiti Unifi gear can help you learn about a whole lot of networking. The Unifi gear has a reasonable user interface, but is very capable, and extendible into sensors, monitoring, storage, access control, and cameras.

I'm curious as to why you don't use the router's binding to assign the static address so it sticks even if you cycle power on the router.

There are various ways to assign IP (IPv4) addresses.

• from the pool of IPv4 addresses available to the local DHCP server.
• from the DHCP server, but with a fixed IPv4 address. The client is set to use DHCP to request its address, but always gets the same address. This uses the MAC address (media access control, and not the Apple brand) to map the client to the IP address. (I suspect this is what you are referring to by “binding”. And “BIND” has a whole ‘nother networking connotation, too.)
• with a manually-assigned fixed IPv4 address, but the assignment is uncoordinated. Network IT groups don’t like this.
• with a manually-assigned IP address, coordinated with the IT group. IT groups still don’t like this, but they usually don’t like this less than they don’t like the uncoordinated IP address assignment strategy.

I use it to assign static IP addresses to peripherals like NAS and printers in an IP address range which I have firewalled off from the internet using the router's firewall.

Pretty much any NAT-based firewall-gateway-router-NAT box will use one of the IPv4 private-address blocks:

10.0.0.0/8: 10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255

172.16.0.0/12: 172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255

192.168.0.0/16: 192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255

These blocks are used all over the place, but NAT means these IP4 addresses don’t (usually) leak onto the public network.

NAT tends to be configured to block most incoming traffic at the firewall-gateway-router-NAT box, but NAT is its own fine mess. And IPv6 variously doesn’t involve NAT.

As for the original poster’s case here, a number of networks will either use public IPv4 and/or IPv6 addresses inside their network, or a mix of public and private addresses. Smaller networks tend to use private IPv4 addresses, and either private or public IPv6 addresses, with details depending on the ISP and the IT group.

The central “fun” for the original poster is getting a host name assigned for the IP address, and there are various ways to do that including a private DNS server, or multicast DNS (mDNS, Bonjour, Zeroconf), or both.

Private DNS servers can be integrated with the local DHCP server, which makes assigning a static IP address that much easier. The client then gets the same host name everywhere, and the routers, DHCP, and DNS servers deal with the name-to-address mapping.

mDNS is great scheme for small networks, but it does not scale well in moderate and larger networks. It’s usually configured segment local, in most multi-segment networks. mDNS may not be particularly reliable in the networks of some organizations for another reason: those networks that followed an ill-considered and since-rescinded Microsoft suggestion to squat in the .local DNS top-level domain.

Yeah, using a static IP address is nice, but (uncoordinated) use of static IP really doesn’t work all that well in even a moderately- complex network, and tends to get the local network IT group “cranky”.

There are also special settings that need to be applied like memory, features like stapler function. All of this takes a good morning and research. This is a business hub not a home printer. All of this could be avoided if Apple allowed you to simply edit the address instead of re-adding a new printer.

Zurarczurx wrote:

I'm curious as to why you don't use the router's binding to assign the static address so it sticks even if you cycle power on the router. I use it to assign static IP addresses to peripherals like NAS and printers in an IP address range which I have firewalled off from the internet using the router's firewall.

This is an network IT administered network, and most IT groups tend to react uncharitably to uncoordinated local network administration efforts.

IT groups also usually have access to gear that detects uncoordinated assignments, and gear that can map a DHCP-assigned IP address into a local DNS translation.

Assigning a static IP address must be accomplished through the printer's settings, and you can absolutely access its settings through the Mac. But you must know the printer's IP address first.

This takes an entire morning to accomplish.

No it doesn't.

Perhaps you didn't read my reply. You don't have to add a new printer, and you don't need to change anything other than its IP address, which was given to you.

"Location" is not important nor required.

Tell your "IT department" to stop making things difficult for you. Doing it the right way is easy.

I guess what everyone is saying here is that in normal circumstances, I should be able to edit the address but it’s because a DNS server (or whatever you call it) is being used and has prevented this ability. Thank you everyone.

I was asking VikingOS. Judging by their answers on these boards they seem to know what they are doing so I was just curious about their setup. I'm a gross amateur when it comes to network stuff and thought that maybe I could learn something.

Hi,

Yes, I think so as well.

I do. Also do this with the Synology NAS IP address. Cycling router power does not change the static IP address assignment.

Perhaps you didn't really read my message. I want to edit my current printers IP address - NOT add a new printer. I was given the IP address since Location is KE133 and not an IP address. There dozens of printer presets that have to be created all over again with a newly added printer. Tabloid, Letter 2 sided, Card stock, several trays.