I just installed Win8.1 on an HP laptop. Networking on the laptop works fine as long as I use DHCP, which is how it is configured for general network access. The problem occurs when I define a Static IP address; the interface gets created as an "unidentified network" and I have no network access. I have a very simple test network configuration in that all I am trying to do is configure a single firewall appliance using this laptop. I do not have a DHCP server on this simple test segment (Laptop direct connected to the FW interface). Is there any way to utilize a Static IP address in Win8.1? I have read through numerous threads describing Domain login issues, DNS suffix configuration, deleting DEFAULT route, etc.. None of these seem applicable based on my simple, direct connected scenario. I also opened the local group policy editor and set the unidentified networks to "private" with no luck.
It appears that I have physical connectivity in that "link" is enabled/disabled when I connect and disconnect the laptop from the FW management interface. I have had no problem with this configuration using previous Windows editions. Has anyone figured out how to use Win8.1 with Static IPs or is the indication that Win8.1 should not be used as a lab device?