To illustrate the textbook definition of “network difficulties,” consider IP address conflicts. IP disputes can arise from a number of different sources, and to add further complexity, devices involved in such a conflict may react in a number of different ways. So that you know what IP conflicts are, why they happen, and how to resolve them, let’s take a closer look at these issues.
An Explanation of IP Address Conflicts
When two or more devices on the same network use the same IP address, a conflict is likely to arise. The particular outcomes of IP address conflicts are device and network configuration dependent. When numerous devices on the same Layer 2 network reply to the same IP, connection to those devices becomes erratic.
Let’s begin with a basic scenario to illustrate the potential problems that can arise from IP conflicts. Let’s pretend you have three nodes in a /24 (255.255.255.0) IPv4 LAN:
● Step one: accessing your computer at 192.168.1.100.
● Second gadget: a printer at 192.168.1.200.
● Third gadget: a webcam with the 192.168.1.200 IP address.
Let’s pretend for the sake of argument that the printer and the connected camera are both serving web pages from TCP port 80.
You fire up your trusty old internet browser and type in “192.168.1.200.” Whichever device most recently responded to your computer’s ARP (address resolution protocol) requests with its MAC (media access control) address is the one you’ll see. Accessing the printer might go off without a hitch if it’s already in your ARP table.
However, ARP cache entries for MAC addresses only persist for a brief period of time, typically no more than a couple of minutes. Thus, a page refresh could unexpectedly reveal the login screen for the connected camera. Unwanted side effects arise as devices jockey to be the first to reply to ARP requests.
The situation quickly escalates if more than two devices are trying to access the same IP address. To sum up, IP address conflicts can cause devices to become unusable due to instability. The entire network can come to a standstill if an IP address conflict occurs on the IPs assigned to essential network devices like a firewall or router.
When Two or More IP Addresses Clash, What May Possibly Cause That?
Now that we’ve defined IP address conflicts, we may investigate their root causes.
IP address misconfiguration. A “wrong” static IP address can be assigned to a device for a variety of reasons, including when an administrator assigns it. Incorrect IP addresses or static assignments that come under the purview of a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server are two examples.
Similarly, on BYOD (bring your own device) networks, a user may bring a device that has a static IP address that already is in use by another device.
Server problems using DHCP. IP address conflicts can arise from DHCP servers that are misconfigured, from unauthorized or rogue DHCP servers on a network, or even from vulnerabilities in the DHCP servers themselves.
Default IP addresses that are in conflict with one another. A large number of devices, especially embedded systems and IoT (Internet of Things) devices, have pre-assigned IP addresses that can be modified during setup. If you’re just setting up a single device, this can be a lifesaver. IP address conflicts can occur, however, if multiple devices with the same hardware are connected to the same network.
The setup of a virtual private network. Connecting to a company’s network remotely with a VPN (virtual private network) is a typical approach to facilitate telecommuting. IP address conflicts can arise when the address ranges of a VPN network and a home user’s network overlap. This is why remote access VPN networks should not use the 192.168.0.0/24 or 192.168.1.0/24 subnets.
Computer viruses and malicious Internet users. Conflicting IP addresses aren’t always the consequence of a mistake or a defect; sometimes they’re intentionally created by someone. ARP cache poisoning and rogue DHCP servers are two methods that attackers can employ to try and get access to a network or steal information from it.
Common IP Disputes
Considering the most typical reasons for IP address disputes, we may classify them into a small set. You can better decide how to handle IP address disputes if you know what kind you’re working with. In a general sense, there are four main varieties of intellectual property disputes:
Confusion over IP addresses caused by static or hand-configured networks. Problems with addressing can arise from a wide variety of sources, including incorrectly configured static IPs, default IP addresses that clash, bring-your-own-device policies, and, on a wider scale, VPNs and home networks. To resolve this, you may need to change the settings on the devices involved. More on this in a minute.
Problems with DHCP servers and IP addresses. IP conflicts can arise from a number of different sources, including duplicate DHCP reservations, overlapping DHCP scopes, and incorrectly configured DHCP servers.
Difficulties with bad actors’ IP addresses. When IP address disputes are found to be the result of hostile actors or malware, the situation becomes much more dire. You should notify your security team (if you have one) and have them check the network for any leftover security hazards before beginning the cleanup on the networking side.
Typical IP Conflicts and Their Solutions
There is no silver bullet for solving IP address conflicts because they might arise in a number of different contexts and on different platforms. Nonetheless, many of the most common IP address conflicts may be resolved by employing a few tried-and-true troubleshooting and resolution techniques, so let’s look at those.
Keep in mind that you may need to combine some of these methods in order to solve real-world issues as we go along.
IP Configuration Conflicts with a Static IP
These two procedures are required when IP address conflicts arise on a network due to manually configured or static IP addresses.
Get rid of the conflict by taking the offending devices out of service. The most important part of this process is establishing trustworthiness in your ability to log into and change settings on one of the devices. It could be done by disabling the corresponding switch port, by using a local terminal, or by attempting to reconfigure the device that is now in the ARP cache.
Please assign a unique address that won’t cause any confusion. Give one of the devices a “good” IP address once you’ve established a reliable connection to it. After that, proceed to the next impacted gadget. A “good” IP address is hard to define and depends on the circumstances. Dynamic IP address configuration via a DHCP server is useful in some scenarios and should be enabled on the devices. In other cases, a static IP address that is outside your DHCP range will need to be configured manually.
Problems With DHCP Servers and IP Addresses
In spite of DHCP servers’ best efforts to avert IP conflicts through the use of mechanisms like IPv4 address conflict detection (as defined in RFC5227), such conflicts may still arise.
In reality, DHCP server defects and misconfigurations can cause a wide variety of conflicts. If the problem you’re having can be traced back to an error in the DHCP server, you’ll need to apply a patch or find another way to get around the problem. Aside from that, here are some standard troubleshooting steps to take:
Resolve overlapping DHCP reservations by updating the DNS server. You must make adjustments on the server if your DHCP reservations cause a problem with other DHCP servers or with static IP addresses (see above).
If your DHCP server’s scopes are overlapping, you need to reorganize them. A network with numerous DHCP servers may experience difficulties if the scopes of those servers conflict. As a solution, you could attempt broadening your focus. In a 192.168.1.0/24 network, for instance, instead of setting both servers to the range 192.168.1.50-192.168.1.100, you could set one to the range 192.168.1.50-75 and the other to the range 192.168.1.76-192.168.1.100.
Keep in mind that correcting the DHCP server side and maybe taking action on the affected devices is typically necessary to entirely resolve these IP address disputes.
The Best Methods for Identifying, Avoiding, and Resolving IP Address Disputes
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to IP address conflicts, as is the case with many things in networking. Preventing intellectual property disputes by forethought and policymaking is possible. In some cases, network hardware and protocols can be of service.
Software for network management, monitoring, and troubleshooting can help you spot and fix IP address conflicts before they become major problems. In the event of an IP address conflict, you will have less downtime and less confusion.
IP address allocation and network design that is thought out can help immensely with planning. Implementing proper DHCP scopes and reservations, as well as giving clients DHCP addresses wherever possible instead of static ones, can have a significant impact. IP address conflicts can also be avoided by avoiding common “home” network address ranges like 192.168.1.0/24.
Switches and DHCP servers both include tools for dealing with ARP cache poisoning and other sources of IP address disputes. DHCP snooping can be useful for blocking malicious DHCP servers if your switches support it. IP Source Guard and Dynamic ARP inspection are two well-known Cisco tools for resolving IPv4 address collisions.
In addition, IPv6’s abundance of addresses reduces the likelihood of an IP address conflict, at least statistically. IPv6 neighbor solicitation messages also offer a way to automatically identify localized network segment conflicts. IPv6 offers many advantages, to put it briefly.
When everything else fails, you can always revert to a “known functioning” configuration thanks to efficient network configuration management that pinpoints the exact point when troubles occurred. Should an IP address dispute happen as a result of a misconfiguration, you can lessen your MTTR (mean time to recovery) with the help of network configuration backup solutions.
