RichT Posted April 4, 2005 Posted April 4, 2005 Hi, I have very little experience with web sites and hosting, etc...... I understood that having a dynamic address is bad and having a static address is good, since the ww DNS servers will have to be updated to recieve a new dynamic IP address. This introduces a lag from when the IP address changes to when people can access it through the www. I've also heard that this lag can be between 24 and 48 hours. Is this true? I've read the various topics on IP addresses and the standard response seems to be that dynamic IP is the standard (refering to FAQ). Could someone explain to me what is wrong with my understanding of the DNS process since it seems to me that having a site with an invalid link (out of date IP on the DNS) is unacceptable for most situations (people probably won't bother trying again later, so you lose a potential website viewer). I've also heard that dynamic is sufficient as long as you don't need SSL or trying to host a forum. I'm confused. What's the story? I hope this makes sense, sorry if I've used the wrong terminology.... I'm new to this arena. Looking forward to setting up an account, I've had recommendations for TCH and the price seems competative.... just need to understand what I need. Thanks RT. Quote
TweezerMan Posted April 4, 2005 Posted April 4, 2005 Welcome to the forums, Rich! I believe you are confused about the different types of IP addresses and where you are likely to see them: 1) Dynamic IP address - this is an IP address that a computer holds temporarily, such as your home computer on a dial-up or DSL account. When you connect to the internet, you are assigned an IP address, but lose that IP address when you disconnect. When you re-connect, you are (usually) given a different IP address. 2) Static IP address - this is an IP address that is assigned permanently to a computer. A web server works best with a static IP address, as the DNS records that point to it do not have to be continuously updated. 3) Dedicated IP address - this is a static IP address that is used by only one person / party. 4) Shared IP address - this is a static IP address that is used by multiple persons / parties. When you sign up for a TCH account and register a domain, your account and domain will be set up on one of TCH's servers. TCH's servers have static IP addresses, and the IP addresses are shared IP addresses if you purchase a virtual account - you will be sharing the web server with other TCH users, but the IP address will not change. After your account is set up, the DNS record that says "your-TCH-domain.com = IP address xx.xxx.xx.xxx" is set up, but that needs to propogate to all of the DNS servers on the internet. This process can take from 24 to 72 hours. Since the IP address of your domain will be on a server that has a static, shared IP address, it will not change. So once the DNS has propogated through the internet, you don't have to worry about the IP address changing and waiting for the new DNS to propogate again. Hope this helps... Quote
RichT Posted April 4, 2005 Author Posted April 4, 2005 Wonderful. That makes complete sense and is exactly what I was looking for. I expect to open the account later tonight. Thanks David. Quote
stevevan Posted April 4, 2005 Posted April 4, 2005 Welcome to the forums! If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask! Quote
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