Txx......TCP/IP automatic metric ?

[dd]

Anybody tell me what automatic metric does?

Start
Settings
Local Area Connection
General > properties
Internet Protocol > tcp / ip
properties
advanced

here at the bottom:

automatic metric?

.....................................

my laptop has this unchecked with a figure of 10

whereas my desktop has automatic metric tickbox checked.

Anybody know what this is for, and why they are different?

[ian]

Probably means your laptop can count to 10 on it's own...

[Flightvector]

It is basically a prioritizing value of bandwidth capability over a local network. It allows a logical way of controlling the paths that packets take when multiple local routes of differing bandwidth exist (not necessarily limited to this, thus the override) between you and the gateway. I have never used this at anything other than auto, since most of us rarely have a situation where anything other than auto is needed to force a prioritization. Using both b and g routers that overlap in a house is where this is effective, when, if both routers overlap coverage, we would want g to be a higher packet priority since it is a higher bandwidth. But otherwise it seems to be a pretty simple setting with not much impact.

Check whether it is set to a higher value within your WLAN TCP protocol settings.

[Roy_W]

Metrics can also come into use when you have more than one network available. The system should use the network with the lowest metric first.

Should the first network become unavailable the system would then use the next available network having a metric number closest to the network that failed.

This in theory provides a means of providing a redundant source should a network fail. I am not so sure than many home users or small companies would require this but many large companies/ISP's use this as a security measure in case of failure in communications networks.

[dd]

Roy_W

Thankyou for the explanation.

BTW: I see you have T41p also. ........