I need to add a printer with Ethernet to my local network. The default IP address in the printer is 0.0.0.0 and I need to change it to a 192.168.0.x address. I have previously temporarily changed the IP address of a computer (with ifconfig) to an address similar to the new device and changed the new device IP with a browser. However, that doesn't work this time. 0.0.0.0 apparently has special significance in Debian Linux, like gateway or default route. The loopback address (127.0.0.1) responds to a ping to 0.0.0.0 and the browser can't connect to the printer. Any ideas?
Type it into the printer control panel?
You might also try hardwiring its mac address to a fake IP by forcing it into your machine's ARP table as whatever IP you want... It won't really be that IP, but when your machine sends to/receives from that machine, it ought to assume "traffic from xx:yy:zz:qq:rr, must be 192.168.0.5'
The printer doesn't have a control panel except two buttons to reset errors or force a print. (Lexmark E260dn).
I did add the printer Ethernet address to /etc/ethers and the desired IP address to /etc/hosts. When I try to ping the printer host name the answer is host is unreachable.
Most printers usually have some application available for local and/or remote configuration.
Maybe this will help:
Release Notes
The IP Setup Utility allows initial configuration of individual or multiple print servers.
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Nothing uses /etc/ethers for lookups so far as I know. I meant adding it to the ARP table using the arp command.
A far more obvious way just occurred to me. You can configure more than one IP on the same interface.
ifconfig eth0:1 0.0.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0
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I made the printer print another network settings page and discovered it had magically acquired a legitimate IP address. Possibly it reports an address of 0.0.0.0 when the network cable is not connected. It was then possible to set the address to what was needed with a browser and the printer is working on the network now.
The Lexmark IP utility is for Bill Gates' cancerous, virus-infested scourge of the Earth excuse for an OS which I don't use. Lexmark tech support suggested resetting the printer to factory defaults but I don't need to try this now.
Thanks for the help!
Not just on Debian. Since the earliest days of IP internetworking, an IP address with a hostid of 0 means "this" host and a network address with a network ID of zeros means "this" network.
Ahah! I suspected that wasn't real.
It's not magic, it's DHCP! Whatever DHCP server you use may be able to tell you what IP your printer got, without having to ask the printer, as long as you know your printer's MAC address (which won't change unless the printer's network card is replaced).