The following information can assist your certified local network technician to configure your office's network to function with MacPractice.
Due to the unique needs of each office, MacPractice support cannot assist with configuring your office's Internal Network.
This information was created with general recommendations and cannot replace the instruction or expertise of a qualified Network Administrator.
AppleTalk: AppleTalk, also known as LocalTalk, is an older network protocol developed by Apple as one of the earliest zero-configuration methods for network computers and printers. AppleTalk is still widely used for printing and file sharing and is a necessity for users of the MacHealth Software, such as MediMac, DentalMac, and ChiroMac.
DHCP: Most computers are set up to access a network using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) by default. DHCP assigns a computer the first IP address made available by the router. This means the IP address can change when the computer or networking equipment is restarted. Since the IP address is used to direct information over the network, changing the IP address can disrupt network communication.
- The DHCP Server can be configured to distribute a range of LAN addresses. For example, the range might be 192.168.1.100 - 192.168.1.150. The first device joining the network will receive 192.168.1.100, the next device will receive 192.168.1.101, and so on. If the device is restarted, it's DHCP Configuration will change, and the IP address may be assigned as 192.168.1.103.
- A MacPractice terminal accesses the database using the MacPractice Server IP address. If the Server's IP address has changed, the terminal will not find the database to log in. Setting up a static IP address avoids this issue.
- An IP Address, using IPv4, consists of segments called octets; each octet will be between zero and 255, which means there are over 4.2 billion IP Addresses available. An example of a typical IPv4 IP Address would be 123.1.234.56.
- Although there are billions of available IP addresses, it is impractical for every computer user on the internet to have one public IP Address. Instead, certain ranges of IP addresses are reserved for Private use: 10.0.0.0-10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0-72.31.255.255, 192.168.0.0-92.168.255.255.
- Private IP addresses are the addresses used by a router to define a home or office LAN.
- An ISP will provide a home or office router a single public IP Address and the router will create a subnet using a range of private IP Addresses, which will be shared with devices as needed. Additional IP Addresses can be purchased.
- IPV6 was introduced in June 2012 as the planned successor to IPv4. At this time it is not suggested by MacPractice.
WAN: The Wide Area Network is the larger network beyond your Local Area Network. For an example, an ISP's network, a large corporation's infrastructure, and even the Internet itself are a WAN.