### Requirements and Considerations

Following is important pre-installation information. Read this information carefully before beginning hardware and driver installations.

- The Digi EtherLite modules must have an IP address assigned before the driver can be installed. EtherLite modules require one IP address per module. Use one of the following utility programs to accomplish this task:
  - Store IP is the preferred utility for assigning an IP address in an EtherLite module. Store IP can both store or erase an IP address and will work on any Windows system. Store IP retains the IP address in non-volatile memory. See EtherLite Utilities: Store IP
  - BootP is a similar utility to Store IP, but is somewhat less functional. It can assign an IP address, but can not retain the IP address once the system is shut down. See EtherLite Utilities: Digi's BootP.
  - Boot Console is the most complex of the utilities used in assigning an IP address. It is used only when:
    - the BootP or DHCP server is unavailable.
    - there are multiple BootP or DHCP servers complicating the assignment of an IP address to the EtherLite module.
    - a gateway, subnet mask, or authorized host IP address must be assigned because the server is on a different subnet.

    The Boot Console utility also provides additional tools to diagnose basic network and EtherLite configuration problems. See Assigning an IP Address ( Temporary): Boot Console, Assigning an IP Address ( Permanent): Boot Console, EtherLite Utilities and Boot Console Commands. Further documentation on Boot Console utility is available at http://support.digi.com. A simple search with the keywords "boot console" will list this document.

- After you assign the IP addresses to the EtherLite modules, confirm their recognition by the network. See Using Ping and Using Verlog.