10 tips for troubleshooting slowdowns in small business networks

#5: IP conflicts

Windows typically prevents two devices with the same IP address from logging on to the same network (when using DHCP). But occasionally, two systems with the same address wind up on the same network. For example, one system could receive an address automatically, while another computer logs on using a static address specified by a user. When such conflicts occur, network slowdowns result (and the systems sharing the same address frequently experience outages).

Troubleshoot IP address conflicts by ensuring you don't have a rogue DHCP server on the network. Confirm, too, that configured DHCP scopes don't contain overlapping or duplicate entries and that any systems (such as servers and routers) that have been assigned static IP addresses have been excluded from the DHCP pools.