Missing IP Address

you haven't given any details as to how you connect which makes it pretty difficult to troubleshoot. Do you have a DSL modem connected directly to your Mac? If so, is it an ethernet or USB modem and what make/model? Are you connecting wirelessly or wired through a router?

It sounds like a potential router issue to me.

First, we'll start with the basic and easiest method of troubleshooting. Power off the router and the modem. Power the modem back up and wait for it to establish a connection to the I.S.P. then power up the router and let it go through it's connection routine. Once your router shows a link (via one of its LEDs), try the Macs. I have had (the odd time) my DSL connection to Bell Canada interrupted and my Belkin router would not auto-reconnect. The above mentioned process resolves that issue for me. If that fails...

Unless you change the default configuration, the Mac will request an I.P address from whatever DHCP it can find on the network that it is physically or wireless attached to. First ensure that your Network preferences are set to use DHCP. In addition to an I.P. address, it is important to look for (in the same preference) a Subnet Mask number and - equally important - a Router Address (which will be the Linksys... usually starting with a 192.) If neither Mac is receiving a DHCP address (but there is a subnet mask and the Linksys's router address registers) then there is likely a DHCP config issue with the Linksys. What numbers do appear in your Network System Preference?

One way to determine if the problem lies with the I.S.P or your router is to connect a Mac directly to the DSL modem and connect. If all works as expected (after putting in the settings your I.S.P. requires), the Linksys (logically) isn't functioning properly.

I am not familar with Linksys but I'll give you a run down of how my Belkin Router is setup.

LAN Settings
Router Address: 192.xxx.x.x
DHCP Server/NAT: on (the router gets and uses the external I.P. address from the ISP and then assigns an 'internal' address - not visible to the outside world - to all of the computers on the local network).

Internet WAN Settings
Connection Type: PPPoE
DNS: Automatic from ISP
MAC Address: verify with your ISP their policy for MAC addressing. My understanding of this is that when you first connect some ISPs use to (and may still do) limit their connection to 1 machine. If this is the case (and you first connected to their service via a computer prior to installing a router) that computer's MAC address may have been recorded as the authorized device. With a router, the ISP will then see a different address, that of the router) and may not allow it to connect. If that is the case you would need to clone your computer ethernet MAC address for the router (should be an option within the router's setup).

MAC Address Filtering: If you have never enabled this then you're okay. This option will allow you to limit what computers can connect via their netowrk card's hardware address (or MAC address - like a serial number).

You won't see a 'window' for I.P. Address, Subnet Mask or Router (as you do with DNS Servers or Search Domains) while configuring via DHCP as this method is essentially controlled via the DCHP server (or Router in your case). DHCP with manual address will allow you to put in a specific I.P with the server (assuming it is reachable) determining the Subnet and Router while 'Manually' gives you total freedom. Of course, if there is a network issue, none of these options will work.

Regarding the possible recording of only 1 device for authorized use, you won't find that on your computer - your I.S.P. should be able to tell you whether or not this is their policy or not. If it isn't (i.e. they will allow a variety of computers or interfaces to use your connection) then the problem does not lie there. Now given how neither the iBook or Mac are showing an I.P address, I would assume that either your ISP is limiting devices or, more likely, that you are both sharing the one I.P address from the ISP that is assigned to the Router.

Check your Linksys router's setup to determine how it handles your ISP's connection and local network. My setup includes the following:

1. DSL modem plugged into the Internet/WAN port (this may seem obvious to some but I've seen people plug their modem into the LAN ports instead).

2. wired Macs plugged into the LAN port.

3. WAN SETUP
is set to use PPPoE with DNS automatic from the ISP. The WAN MAC address for me is that of the router as my provider does not have those limits in place. If my ISP were to have limited the connection to (for example) my computer's network card, I would have to clone that address so that the router "appears" to be my computer. The I.P Address here is the one assigned via the ISP (essentially, the address visible to the outside world)

4. LAN SETUP
DHCP and NAT are both turned on. Using both of these options allows all of my computers to share the one I.P address assigned to my router from the internet provider. The addresses that appear in the LAN are private/internal ones (starting with a 192. or 10. for example).

Note: unlike your networked computers, your router will have two I.P. addresses assigned to it - the first being the ISP's address/connection to the Internet world (also known as the WAN or Wide Area Network) and a LAN address (starting with a 192. or 10.) for your private network.

5. FIREWALL
Mine is turned on. Among the settings that I use include MAC address filtering. If this is enabled, only devices with the hardware addresses listed will be allowed to connect.

Glad to have helped (or tried to be of help anyway..)
Happy speed surfing!

I'm having a similar problem with a missing IP address....hoping for your advice.

I have a cable modem and wireless router hooked up to a G4, and cant connect to the internet after a data outage from the ISP (comcast).

I tried all of the usual steps...powering off the modem, the router, the computer, then powering it all back on in steps. Checked with Comcast and the modem is testing fine....they walked me through the network configuration steps, and since there is no information showing in the IP address, the subnet mask, or the router they said I need to get a new IP address from Apple.

I also tried removing the router and hooking the modem directly to the computer, but that hasnt provided any information.



Mac OS X (10.2.x)

just purchased my iMac, arrived on Wednesday at noon and was on the phone with Applecare for 6 hours trying to resolve the problem of the internet connection....it has not been resolved...then I called my cable company and sat on the phone with them another 2 hours and still not resolved...in the meantime the woman I spoke to at Apple was very kind very information but she too was not able to resolve the problem...very frustrating You bet...
I love Apple but I really don't like having to pay top dollar for an iMac and then things go wrong - I wont get into the other problems I've had with the computer (the remote would not work, I lost all the files I transferred from my old computer - it just took up a lot of disc space on the new computer but all gone)....

Mind if I jump in on this thread? I thought I had lost my IP address recently when I looked in system preferences and under "built in ethernet" TCPIP it showed no figures at all for IP address, subnet mask or router. However, when I changed the pulldown menu to airport and then clicked on TCPIP all those figures are there. Why is this? Do I need them to be there when it's set to "built in ethernet"?

Mind if I jump in on this thread? I thought I had
lost my IP address recently when I looked in system
preferences and under "built in ethernet" TCPIP it
showed no figures at all for IP address, subnet mask
or router. However, when I changed the pulldown menu
to airport and then clicked on TCPIP all those
figures are there. Why is this? Do I need them to be
there when it's set to "built in ethernet"?

It is there because you are connecting via Airport and not the built-in ethernet port. If you were to plug an ethernet cable into the Mac while maintaining your wireless settings, you would then have both network connections with separate I.P settings (assuming you are using a router and DHCP).

I'm having a similar problem with a missing IP
address....hoping for your advice.

I have a cable modem and wireless router hooked up to
a G4, and cant connect to the internet after a data
outage from the ISP (comcast).

I tried all of the usual steps...powering off the
modem, the router, the computer, then powering it all
back on in steps. Checked with Comcast and the modem
is testing fine....they walked me through the network
configuration steps, and since there is no
information showing in the IP address, the subnet
mask, or the router they said I need to get a new IP
address from Apple.

I also tried removing the router and hooking the
modem directly to the computer, but that hasnt
provided any information.



Mac OS X
(10.2.x)

well, you wouldn't be getting a new IP from Apple. Comcast is your ISP so the address comes from them.

What I would suggest trying first is to create a new 'Location' in your Network System preference and configure it according to Comcast's instructions. You can leave all network ports enabled but try a wired connection first (Mac ethernet to router - this way, you can also verify/reset/reconfigure your router if need be.

BTW, is your modem ethernet or USB?

just purchased my iMac, arrived on Wednesday at noon
and was on the phone with Applecare for 6 hours
trying to resolve the problem of the internet
connection....it has not been resolved...then I
called my cable company and sat on the phone with
them another 2 hours and still not resolved...in the
meantime the woman I spoke to at Apple was very kind
very information but she too was not able to resolve
the problem...very frustrating You bet...
I love Apple but I really don't like having to pay
top dollar for an iMac and then things go wrong - I
wont get into the other problems I've had with the
computer (the remote would not work, I lost all the
files I transferred from my old computer - it just
took up a lot of disc space on the new computer but
all gone)....

Did your iMac ship with 10.4.7 or did you upgrade to it via 'Software Update' and, if so, was it the Combo update? I would also be curious as to whether or not you've applied the last security update.

I began to experience a number of wireless issues not long after applying the Security Update which included an intermittent failure to connect to my Belkin router (via airport using WPA) either following a 'Wake from sleep" or a simple restart. With no encryption, it worked properly as was the case (obviously) when wired via Ethernet. My solution became an 'Archive and Install', applied the 10.4.7 combo update and all subsequent ones (i.e. QuickTime, Java etc..) but not the last security update and so far - knock on wood - my wireless is running smoothly. I did a test 10.4.7 install on an external drive with the security update and the problem surfaced which leads me to believe there may be a bug with that security patch (in conjunction with wireless encryption).

Regarding your 'lost files', if the space is being used up then I would assume (perhaps naively) that they must be hiding somewhere on your drive, perhaps a temp folder. How did you transfer the files from the old computer (i.e. via Firewire and the Migration Assistant?)

Okay... my wireless issues have returned again so ignore my previous 'solution' of archive and install. The conclusion that I have come to includes...

1. Intel Macs seem to suffer from an unreliable Airport implementation that does not plague PowerPC Macs (my comparison included 6+ months of running my iMac CD and office iBook G3 side by side). This issue seems most relevant regarding the various choices of encryption and has occurred with two working, third party routers.

(I have read about issues occurring with Intels and Apple Airport base stations as well so there is no conspiracy theory implied here)

2. The 10.4.7 update seems to have brought about less stability regarding Airport that previous versions of Tiger (an opinion based soley on how much time I presently spend troubleshooting the CD and wireless)

Frustration is an understatement as to how I presently feel....