Internet Sharing and Self-Assigned IP

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Level 3

643 points

Internet Sharing and Self-Assigned IP

i have an iMac hooked up to the internet via an ethernet connection. i have it set to share its internet connection wirelessly. i have a macbook pro that typically connects wirelessly via this shared connection.

recently (as in after the latest OS X update), i've been getting a "self-assigned IP" warning from my macbook pro. i thought it must have an issue, but then i checked another macbook pro - same thing. same goes for my iphone.

so... something weird is going on with my imac. the only way i was able to "solve" it was by restarting the imac. but that's obviously not acceptable.

anyone else have this problem?

2.16GHz MacBook Pro  2G RAM • 256MB VRAM, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Aug 7, 2009 11:03 AM

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Answer 1

bscepter Author

Level 3

643 points

Aug 10, 2009 7:51 AM in response to bscepter

anyone?

i'm going to revert to 10.5.7, i think. maybe that'll help.

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Answer 2

alansky1

Level 1

40 points

Aug 11, 2009 7:55 PM in response to bscepter

My internet sharing abruptly stopped working after the 10.5.8 update. Apple tech told me it's a 10.5.8 bug and suggested reinstalling the 10.5.8 COMBO updater after turning off Internet Sharing. This worked, but the problem recurred two days later. I had to reinstall 10.5.8 TWICE to get Internet Sharing working again. This is a big pain in the *** if it happens again.

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Answer 3

bscepter Author

Level 3

643 points

Aug 11, 2009 8:15 PM in response to alansky1

alansky1 wrote:
My internet sharing abruptly stopped working after the 10.5.8 update. Apple tech told me it's a 10.5.8 bug and suggested reinstalling the 10.5.8 COMBO updater after turning off Internet Sharing. This worked, but the problem recurred two days later. I had to reinstall 10.5.8 TWICE to get Internet Sharing working again. This is a big pain in the *** if it happens again.

what a pain in the @$$. i guess i'll give it a try though.

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Answer 4

bscepter Author

Level 3

643 points

Aug 11, 2009 8:19 PM in response to alansky1

i wonder why redoing the combo update would work. that's what i used the first time. i guess it must have something to do with switching off sharing first.

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Answer 5

alansky1

Level 1

40 points

Aug 12, 2009 1:36 PM in response to bscepter

I guess... I had also installed the combo update to begin with. Then when the problem recurred, the fix didn't work. But then repeating the failed fix did work the second time, which makes no sense at all. Whatever.

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Answer 6

scrib74

Level 1

4 points

Aug 17, 2009 11:44 AM in response to bscepter

i tried doing the combo update with the sharing off. it worked for about ten minutes, then stopped again. someone here mentioned a fix? could you tell me what that was or if anyone has an update or found a solution.

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Answer 7

Aug 19, 2009 7:35 PM in response to bscepter

I have the exact issue wtih 10.5.8. It worked for several days but now my internet sharing wipes out after about 5 -10 minutes. Reboots, etc. get it going again but then, pffft.

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Answer 8

frische

Level 1

0 points

Aug 20, 2009 3:59 AM in response to bscepter

Hi Bscepter

I have the exact same configuration as you. An iMac sharing it´s and internet and printer over the airport. After upgrading first the printersharing and now the internet and file sharing is gone. I'm really puzzled. Maybe I should try to repeat the 10.5.8 update...how exactly do one do this?

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Answer 9

frische

Level 1

0 points

Aug 20, 2009 4:12 AM in response to bscepter

I tried (again, because I tried this before) to turn of the airport at the iMac, and turn it back on again. Now the sharing internet and files work, but I wonder for how long. Sharing the printers still doesn't work.

I think definately there's a problem in 10.5.8 regarding something relating to "sharing" and "airport"

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Answer 10

frische

Level 1

0 points

Aug 20, 2009 4:30 AM in response to frische

Pfsst...there it went internet sharing down again, it worked in few minutes.

I made it work again by fiddling with the airport settings on the iMac...including turning airport on the iMac off and on...but again it was only for a few minutes.

Network diagnosis utility on the MacBook, it appears that my shared internet requires a WEP-code. I do not recall setting this up on the iMac...I wonder if this is where the problem is.

I tried turning off and on airport at the iMac sharing its internet. The shared internet is up again, but only for a few minutes.

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Answer 11

BigBen93

Level 1

4 points

Aug 27, 2009 5:21 AM in response to bscepter

OK, a few days ago, my OSX-based internet sharing via airport stopped working.

Sharing of the built-in ethernet is enabled, airport is on.

Devices (iPod and netbook) see the network, but are unable to obtain a proper DHCP lease from it.

Airport (en1) shows as 169.254.142.182 instead of the expected 10.0.2.1

SO, I go into /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration

I select
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.nat.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.network.identification.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

And go into time machine and replace them with copies from a month ago.

Reboot.

It WORKS!

But it does not STAY working.

Some time later (I have not quantified how long later) it stops working again with the exact same symptoms.

Ideas?

Thanks!

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Answer 12

bscepter Author

Level 3

643 points

Aug 27, 2009 5:58 AM in response to BigBen93

BigBen93 wrote:
OK, a few days ago, my OSX-based internet sharing via airport stopped working.

Sharing of the built-in ethernet is enabled, airport is on.

Devices (iPod and netbook) see the network, but are unable to obtain a proper DHCP lease from it.

Airport (en1) shows as 169.254.142.182 instead of the expected 10.0.2.1

SO, I go into /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration

I select
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.nat.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.network.identification.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

And go into time machine and replace them with copies from a month ago.

Reboot.

It WORKS!

But it does not STAY working.

Some time later (I have not quantified how long later) it stops working again with the exact same symptoms.

Ideas?

Thanks!

it might have more to do with the reboot than the prefs files. when mine fails, i simply reboot the host machine, and it starts working again. i find that i can usually trigger a failure by putting the second machine to sleep. after a deep sleep and waking, i get the self-assigned IP error.

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Answer 13

Aug 29, 2009 7:02 AM in response to bscepter

I spent several hours yesterday trying to work around this problem. I followed alansky1's suggestion of using the combo updater, with the same effects described by scrib74: internet sharing works for a bit, and then disappears. Rebooting doesn't help in my case; I needed to reinstall the combo updater -- twice sometimes!

Anyways, this was supremely frustrating. I have another laptop running 10.5.7 and set it up to act as the bridge point instead, and it's been running fine for a couple of hours now. Interestingly, the 10.5.8 machine refused to connect to this new nextwork, which was only fixed by reinstalling the combo updater (yet again!). This suggests the problem may actually go quite deep into the airport driver.

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Answer 14

.Stian

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2009 9:05 AM in response to Brian de Alwis

I don’t think it’s related to airport drivers. I was connected to my iBook G4 (10.4.11) with internet sharing with wifi, it has worked with no issues, until 10.5.8. OK, so I hooked up with firewire cabel. First of all it’s very slow to connect. And I am now trying to transfer some files to iBook, no way! Looses connection all the time, transfer speed is very up and down.

I am going to install Snow Leopard to my iMac, see if I still have the same problems.

_*My setup:*_

• Internet modem, cabel----->iBook G4, firewire----->iMac 2.66 GHz

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Answer 15

ikkyu0

Level 1

4 points

Aug 29, 2009 9:28 AM in response to bscepter

I'm having this exact problem trying to share one ethernet internet connection among two MacBook Pro's, both with 10.5.8.

I'm curious if upgrading to Snow Leopard addressed the issue? I should have my copy by Monday.

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