Hands-On Lab: Verifying IP Parameters on macOS (GUI)

Lab Objective

Determine a Mac's current IP address, subnet mask, router (default gateway), and DNS servers using System Settings, and renew its DHCP lease from the same interface.

Lab Purpose

macOS presents network configuration through a graphical panel that uses somewhat different terminology than Windows or Linux — "Router" instead of "Default Gateway," for example — and engineers supporting mixed environments need to recognize these equivalent terms quickly rather than being confused by the different wording.

Lab Topology

Mac ---- connected to a switch port
         configured for DHCP (client)

Task 1: Open Network Settings

Navigate to System Settings and locate the active network connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

Task 2: View Basic IP Information

Identify the current IP address and confirm whether it was assigned via DHCP.

Task 3: View Detailed TCP/IP Information

Open the connection's Details/Advanced view and locate the subnet mask, router, and DNS server addresses.

Task 4: Renew the DHCP Lease

Use the graphical option to renew the DHCP lease and confirm the resulting address.

Solution and Verification

Step 1:
System Settings > Network > select the active
connection (e.g., Wi-Fi) in the left sidebar

Step 2:
The main panel shows:
  Status: Connected
  IP Address: 192.168.1.55
  -- macOS confirms this address came from
  -- DHCP directly in this summary view

Step 3:
Click "Details..." next to the connection,
then select the TCP/IP tab:

  Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
  IP Address: 192.168.1.55
  Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  Router: 192.168.1.1
  -- "Router" here is macOS's term for what
  -- Windows and Linux both call the default
  -- gateway -- the same underlying concept

Then select the DNS tab:

  DNS Servers: 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4

Step 4:
In the TCP/IP tab, click "Renew DHCP Lease"

DHCP Lease Obtained: automatically refreshes
New IP Address: 192.168.1.61
-- Same normal behavior observed in the
-- Windows and Linux labs -- a slightly
-- different address is often assigned

Key Takeaway

The underlying TCP/IP concepts — address, mask, gateway, DNS — are universal across every operating system, but each OS uses its own terminology and interface layout to expose them. Recognizing that macOS's "Router" field is functionally identical to Windows's "Default Gateway" and Linux's default route prevents confusion when supporting a mixed-OS environment.