Sometimes in order to gain connectivity in certain networks where a DHCP server is not running, the configuration of a static IP address is required.

The steps required to setup up a static IP address are rather straightforward, but the process is a bit different from Windows Vista and XP.

Let's go through the steps now and configure a static IPv4 address in Windows 7.

Static IPv4 Configuration in Windows 7

The first thing that must be done is to gain access to the Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7. This can be done in one of two ways; the first way to access it is via the control panel.

Select the Windows 7 Orb on the bottom left-hand corner and select the control panel option as shown below:

There are several views which are available for the control panel; by default the category view is used. When using the category view the option that you need to select is called View network status and Tasks, as highlighted below.

This will bring you to the Network and Sharing Center.

The second way to gain access to the Network and Sharing Center is to utilize the network icon which is displayed in the system tray when a network interface has been enabled.

When this icon is right-clicked the option to open the Network and Sharing Center is given as shown below:

Once the Network and Sharing Center is open there is an option which allows the change of adapter settings which is shown in the upper left hand corner of the window. This is shown highlighted in the following figure (click on the image to enlarge):

Once in the Network Connections window, an interface must be selected which is going to be configured with the static IP address. In the following example, both a wired and wireless interface are shown as examples.

For the purposes of this article the wired interface will be used as the interface being given a static IP Address.

By right-clicking on the correct interface a sub-menu is shown; from this menu select the properties option.

Once the properties option is selected the interface properties windows will be displayed. This screen gives the option to configure a number of different network parameters.

Since we want to change the interface IPv4 IP address this option must be selected from the window. Once this option is selected the properties button will be enabled; press the properties button.

Once the properties button is pressed the IPv4 properties window is displayed which shows that the interface is currently configured to obtain both its IP address and its DNS server information automatically.

In order to change to a static IP address the option to Use the following IP address must be selected; once this is done the option to enter the IP address parameters is enabled and the Use the following DNS server addresses option is selected.

For the purpose of this article the IP address 192.168.1.100 is used with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 and a default gateway of 192.168.1.1. The DNS server which will be configured is 4.2.2.2.

These options are shown in their correct locations in the following figure:

Once these options have been entered on the screen simply press Ok on both property screens and the configuration of a static IP is complete.

The knowledge of static IP configuration is vital in modern organizational environments as many do not completely utilize automatic IP assignment; it is also vital knowledge when trying to troubleshoot IPv4.

If you're still running a Vista system, here's where you can learn how to configure an IP address in Windows Vista.

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