Dynamic DNS
Background
Every host on the Internet must have at least one IP address to be able to
communicate with others. However there are only a limited number of IP
addresses available to use and that's running out very fast. IPv6 is supposed
to solve this problem but it is not widespread yet. Therefore, ISPs today treat
IP addresses as very precious resource and must be conserved as much as
possible. To make use IP address eficiently, they started to assign dynamic IP
address to dial-up clients. This means every time a client get connected,
he/she will be assigned a different IP address. Usually this won't be a problem
for typical client activies, but all server applications suffers. This is like
having your telephone number change every day, people will have a very hard
time reaching you.
Solution
We offer Dynamic DNS feature to overcome this problem. Dynamic DNS will assign a static hostname (such as: myhome.example.com) even if your IP address changes. The only requirement is that you need to have an email client check a specified fake POP3 account periodically. This is required to inform our Dynamic DNS server your current IP address so that it can be updated on the server whenever it changes.
Applications
So, how would it be useful? There are a lot applications that could benefit from having a static hostname.
- File Transfer. Transfering files over the Internet is not always a simple matter especially if they are very big. Files over 10 MB in size are almost impossible to transfer by email, most mail servers are rejecting emails too big in size. It is not efficient either, files grow larger when attached to an email. Uploading to hosting account might not be possible due to disk space limitation, not to mention it will cost twice the time. With dynamic DNS you can have the files transferred directly between two regular dial-up accounts without requiring static IP addresses. Have one host named using dynamic DNS and the other host download or upload the files by using FTP.
- Remote Administration. Give a dynamic DNS name to your home computer and install a remote administration software. If you leave your home computer running and connected to the Internet, then you will be able to control it while you are at work, Internet cafe, or anywhere with Internet access.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN). If your office is still using a dial-up account, it is normally hard to do VPNs since you don't know the IP address in advance. With dynamic DNS you can easily have any employee connect to company network remotely even if the Internet IP address changes.
- Internet Voice & Video Communication. With software like Microsoft® Windows® NetMeeting® or any compatible software you can receive audio and video calls. With dynamic DNS you can have your friends call you by using an address like myself.example.com
- Webcam and Home Surveillance. With a webcam and a web server software you can publish live pictures to the Internet. With dynamic DNS you can easily publish the address to your friends. It is also possible to use webcams as home surveillance system so that you can monitor your house, kids, etc while at work.
A Bit of Note
Please note we only provide the Dynamic DNS service part of the service, the above examples of applications are only a few example that can utilize Dynamic DNS service we are providing. We don't provide those services, corresponding technical support and the required software. Some of the examples above are advanced topics and might require qualified technician.