DHCP lease renewal resetting my network

I have two Windows 10 Pro and two Linux RHEL 7 machines at home, all have wired connections to Netgear NAT/Router/DHCP-server. DHCP lease is working fine except that Windows network gets interrupted. The ssh connection (MobaXterm) to Linux drops, manual reconnection works. After DHCP lease renewal, the IP stack of all four machines remains unchanged and the renewal happens very quickly. Even tried IP reservations in the DHCP server, which did not help. Dropping ssh connection is not only annoying but often results in lost work. Linux-to-Linux ssh connections are not affected.

Why simple action like DCHP renewal should have such a destructive effect in Windows and how to fix it?

tenvisitor said:

I have two Windows 10 Pro and two Linux RHEL 7 machines at home, all have wired connections to Netgear NAT/Router/DHCP-server. DHCP lease is working fine except that Windows network gets interrupted. The ssh connection (MobaXterm) to Linux drops, manual reconnection works. After DHCP lease renewal, the IP stack of all four machines remains unchanged and the renewal happens very quickly. Even tried IP reservations in the DHCP server, which did not help. Dropping ssh connection is not only annoying but often results in lost work. Linux-to-Linux ssh connections are not affected.

Why simple action like DCHP renewal should have such a destructive effect in Windows and how to fix it?

Hi there
you state in the post that for your Linux - manual reconnection works but you don't manually reset your Windows network -- in any case Linux was built from the start as a multi user system with networking integral right from the start so services like ssh(d), samba etc would be re-started after any temporary interruption -- also depending on some distros -- FEDORA, CENTOS, RHEL etc the basic network app ensures network is re-connected on temporary loss of network .

Those type of distros were designed on Robust Servers which rely on solid networking connections -- nobody wants to use a server if connections are often interrupted.

Windows was designed as a home single user system (OK I know there are server editions around but we aren't considering those) and therefore networking is more "Client" based than "Server" based (although you can install open-ssh server in the optional programs section). That makes Windows a bit more robust when network gets interrupted temporarily as the open-SSH server service then re-starts.

To me Windows Networking has always seemed about as scientific as Gandalf the Wizards magic in "The Lord of the Rings" -- sometimes it just works, other times it just fails whatever one does to try and mend it.

You could though minimize the problem by giving really long lease times -- depending on your router --what about 999 days if it goes up that far --- while Linux NAS and servers are often left for very long periods indeed before a reboot --I doubt if there's a single HOME type Windows machine that will go for almost 3 years before being re-booted. On re-boot the lease starts again from 0 so it should fix the windows problem --baring in mind that at least for me I rarely find anything in Windows networking repeatable and predictable --apart from the 100% certainty it will fail regularly !!!.

For all sorts of reasons I don't use Static IP addresses on network - but that's also another thing to consider - it can also make it easier to SSH or RDP into computers when you are on the Internet outside your own home LAN.


Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

make it easier to SSH or RDP into computers when you are on the Internet outside your own home LAN.

You would want to run a VPN in conjunction.

OldNavyGuy said:

You would want to run a VPN in conjunction.

True - but it was just to show the point

Actually for simple file transfer I use sftp with filezilla to get files from a remote Windows machine -- that's how I realized why one needed open-ssh server on the Windows machine to be able to pull off the files via encrypted SSH. Putty and tunnelling also works - but I think these are topics for different posts. (Note in this case the Remote Windows machine is acting as a Server) --Even if you are logged on to the Windows machine you still need the SSH server to be able to SEND files.

To RECEIVE files then you don't need the server but just the open-ssh client which is now installed by default in W10.

Cheers
jimbo

If these are always wired, why not just used fixed IP addresses? If you don't use DHCP you won't suffer from the effects of lease renewal ... if any.