[Leica] running your web server at home despite dynamic IP address

["Patrick G. Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>]

I hate to perpetuate non-Leica threads, but this one may help list members
post their photos, which I always enjoy and which I think has the effect of
making this list much more on target than it used to be in, say, 1996.

The cable TV/ISPs around my part of the world (AT&T Broadband and RCN)
require
dynamic IP, but they say they don't mind if you run a little personal Web
site
or mail server at home.  They don't want you running a commercial service
and
sucking in or pumping out a lot of bits, because it costs them money and
they
didn't price the service to support it; but exchanging photos with a few
hundred people is not a big deal.  Instead, the reason they insist on
dynamic
IP is that it is much easier for them to administrate and cuts down on their
costs.

They don't renumber the network too often -- perhaps every couple of months
on
average.  There's a good reason for them not to do it more often: some
popular
operating systems handle DHCP lease revocation poorly, requiring a reboot
and
causing lots of calls to the tech service center, which costs them money and
operational pain.  As a result, there's a simple way to host your own Web
site
despite dynamic IP.

You need only two things.  First, you need an entity that can provide name
service for your site and which allows dynamic updates of the records.  The
one I use is a Canadian provider called EasyDNS, which is inexpensive (about
$30/year) and reliable; see them at http:www.easydns.com .  They also host
MX
records for me and serve as a backup mail spool.

Then you need a script on your machine that notices when its IP address has
changed, and communicates with your name service provider to give them the
update.  That's it; you're off to the races.

Have a look at:
http://www.gusnet.cx/proj/ez-ipupdate/
for different name services and a script.

- -Patrick

    From: "Pascal" <cyberdog@attglobal.net>

    thanks for the suggestion Dave.

    Though I have ADSL at home, the telcom provider does not allow static IP
    addresses since he specifically wants to exclude people from putting up
web
    servers.

    Pascal

    - -----Original Message-----
    From: Dave Hillman [mailto:dave@hillmanimages.com]

    On Sunday 22 July 2001 09:02 am, Pascal wrote:

    > Would anyone have any suggestions as to alternative free or low cost
web
    > space providers ?

    If you can get a statically assigned IP address with an ADSL line you
can
    host your own as I do. Not sure where in the world where that is
available.

    - --
    Dave Hillman