Dynamic IP

Hi:

I have a dsl connection whose IP address is dynamically assigned by my
ISP, my question is:

Is it possible to access my web server (Appache 2.0, on Fedora Core 1)
from another computer via internet or do i need to have a static IP and
a registered domain name?

Thx in advance,

FM>

Francisco Mendez wrote:

> Hi:
>
> I have a dsl connection whose IP address is dynamically assigned by my
> ISP, my question is:
>
> Is it possible to access my web server (Appache 2.0, on Fedora Core 1)
> from another computer via internet or do i need to have a static IP and
> a registered domain name?

Yes it is. You can use dynamic DNS.

--
Sandro Mangovski
<Fish:#linux>@irc.idolnet.org
PGP Key:
QOTD: A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 01:28:43 -0600, Francisco Mendez
<iframe@prodigy.net.mx> wrote:


>Is it possible to access my web server (Appache 2.0, on Fedora Core 1)
>from another computer via internet.

Yes.

> or do i need to have a static IP and
>a registered domain name?

Having a domain name helps. Otherwise you have to type the ip address
into the browser, and that's not fixed.

Getting a domain name isn't difficult. I've written a short howto on
the topic which you can access at www.dannelson.net/LSH .

You need to use dynamic dns. If you have a domain name, you will have
an authoritive name server for it. The name server keeps the ip
address for the domain. Whenever your web server gets a new ip
address, it uses a small program which contacts the name server and
updates the ip address. The update client that I use is ddclient. I
also use www.zoneedit.com as my name server (free dynamic dns). Their
faq has a section on dynamic dns.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of getting your own domain
name, then you can use a sub-domain from someone else. Have a look at
www.dyndns.org , I think they do dynamic dns and give you a subdomain
name, i.e., yourname.dyndns.org.

Dan

Hi Dan:

Thanks for your answer. As far as I understand, the solutions you give
me involve registering and/or installing some software in the external
machine.

i was thinking in a more naive solution, as looking my assigned ip
provided by my isp, and then writing that address in the browser, from
which i'll be accessing my server. The external machine will not allways
be the same.

By the same idea what about connecting to my machine via ssh and/or
telnet, is that possible?

thanks Sandro, can you explain how that's done?

FM>

Francisco Mendez wrote:

> thanks Sandro, can you explain how that's done?

www.dyndns.org
All instructions are there. Have fun!

--
Sandro Mangovski
<Fish:#linux>@irc.idolnet.org
PGP Key:
QOTD: Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success... don't hesitate to
step on them.

Francisco Mendez wrote:
> i was thinking in a more naive solution, as looking my assigned ip
> provided by my isp, and then writing that address in the browser, from
> which i'll be accessing my server. The external machine will not allways
> be the same.

The thing is, when You are at that remote location, how would You know
the address that Your box currently has (since it will change from time
to time, as You know).

There are other ways to do this than with dynamic DNS, like having it
sent to You via e-mail or some paging device such as a cell-phone. But
using dyndns or the like has the advantage that You only have to remem-
ber one name that You registered Yourself with.


> By the same idea what about connecting to my machine via ssh and/or
> telnet, is that possible?

Of course it is. - If You know the IP that You currently have, just
go "ssh user@$IP_ADDRESS", and Yo're done. If You use dyndns, it's
like "ssh user@yourname.dyndns.org". - You should not allow telnet
from the outside if You have ssh.

To clarify this: Your problem is to determine what dynamic IP address
Your ISP gave You, especially if it changes while You're not at home.
Once You have that address (because You got it by e-mail or via some
dynamic DNS service), all services that Your box offers are available
from the outside, unless You block connection attempts via some fire-
walling mechanism.


Cheers, Jack.

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My personal reading of the string "MicroSoft" expands to "NanoWeak"...

Francisco Mendez wrote:

> Hi:
>
> I have a dsl connection whose IP address is dynamically assigned by my
> ISP, my question is:
>
> Is it possible to access my web server (Appache 2.0, on Fedora Core 1)
> from another computer via internet or do i need to have a static IP and
> a registered domain name?

Other than the fact that a dhcp address may change occasionally, there's no
other difference between dhcp and static addresses. As long as you know
your IP, you can connect.

--

Fundamentalism is fundamentally wrong.

To reply to this message, replace everything to the left of "@" with
james.knott.

jack wrote:

> The thing is, when You are at that remote location, how would You know
> the address that Your box currently has (since it will change from time
> to time, as You know).
>

My address changes so seldom, it's virtually static. Also, my host name is
consistent, so even if my IP changes, I can still get to it by using my
host name.

--

Fundamentalism is fundamentally wrong.

To reply to this message, replace everything to the left of "@" with
james.knott.

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 02:47:33 -0600, Francisco Mendez
<iframe@prodigy.net.mx> wrote:

>Hi Dan:
>
>Thanks for your answer. As far as I understand, the solutions you give
>me involve registering and/or installing some software in the external
>machine.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'external machine'. The update client
goes on the same machine as your web server (assuming that your web
server is the machine that makes the dsl connection). If you are
capable of installing Apache, you're capable of installing the update
client. Whenever that machine gets a new ip address, the update
client updates the remote name server. Then you can access your web
server from anywhere by name.

Dan