How to use the Alternate Configuration feature for multiple network connectivity in Windows XP (283676)

SUMMARY

This article describes how to use the Alternate Configuration functionality to establish multiple-network connectivity. If you are a mobile computer user, you can use the Alternate Configuration functionality to maintain seamless operations on both office and home networks without having to manually reconfigure TCP/IP settings. This feature specifies that TCP/IP uses an alternative configuration if a DHCP server is not found. The Alternate Configuration functionality is useful in situations where you use the computer on more than one network, where one of those networks does not have a DHCP server, and you do not want to use an automatic private Internet protocol (IP) addressing configuration.

You can use the Alternate Configuration functionality if you use a mobile computer at your office and at your home. When you are in the office, the computer uses a DHCP-allocated TCP/IP configuration. When you are at home (where you do not have access to a DHCP server), the computer automatically uses the alternative configuration.

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Using the Alternate Configuration feature

To use the Alternate Configuration feature:

1. On the Start menu, click Control Panel.
2. Click Network and Internet Connections.
3. Click Network Connections.
4. Right-click the local area network (LAN) or high-speed Internet connection that you want to configure and click Properties.
5. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
6. Click the Alternate Configuration tab.

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