Pick an Installation Type & Prepare your Network
It's essential to know how your network is configured prior to starting a DrawBridge installation. We recommend that you:
- Perform a network scan of your existing setup. A good tool for this is the free Advanced IP Scanner, available here. Run the scan and take note of the IP addresses of your devices. Save or print the scan output for your reference. In some situations, it is important that specific computers (such as servers) and printers maintain the same IP address across network infrastructure changes to ensure the most seamless migration.
- Locate the web configuration panels for your existing network infrastructure (modem, wireless routers/access points, firewalls, managed switches, etc) and ensure you have the correct login credentials available.
- Determine what device is the existing gateway
- Determine what device is the existing DNS and DHCP server. Generally, on most Small Office/Home Office networks, these services are handled by the same unit as the gateway. You can check this by opening Network Connections (Windows) --
ncpa.cplin the Start Menu search box -- and right-clicking the network adapter in use at the moment, clicking Status, and then Details. Note the IP address shown for the gateway, and compare it to the IP addresses for DHCP and DNS. Again, on most small networks, these will all be the same IP address.