IP hosts and network infrastructure have historically been difficult to configure, requiring network services such as DHCP and DNS servers, and relying on highly trained network administrators. This need for administration has prevented IP networks from being used in many environments such as in homes, in small businesses, in impromptu networks established at conferences, construction sites, emergency relief stations, etc.

With the proliferation of IP-enabled network-attached appliances and inexpensive computing devices, the demand to enable plug-and-play, easy-to-use IP networking has increased. This demand has recently initiated a new paradigm of IP networking called zero configuration, or zeroconf, networking. The goal is to develop a set of zeroconf configuration protocols to enable IP networking without manual configuration or administration. Such IP networks are called zeroconf networks.

In this paper we examine IP address configuration in zeroconf networks involving two network topologies: (1) A routerless network, which consists of several hosts attached to a segment having no router, (2) A single-router network, which consists of a router joining several segments together into a star-shaped topology. We suggest the requirements for IP address configuration, review the existing solutions, and propose new algorithms to address their deficiencies. Finally, we present a comparison of our algorithms to existing solutions and describe when a particular configuration method should be used.