Max's techno queries

Matt Cramer cramer at unix01.voicenet.com
Mon Jun 4 14:15:00 PDT 2001



> >From: sawicky at epinet.org (Max Sawicky)
> >
> >I am also curious about providers of
> >DSL service that permit customers to
> >run their own servers.

I've had Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic) DSL for nearly 18 months and have no problems operating a server (my ISP is Qwest). I don't know if it is against thier usage agreement but there are apparently no technical controls on serving via DSL. If you start getting 100,000 hits/day they might notice, and clobber you for more money. But a small site shouldn't be a problem.

The technical hurdle you have to cross is name resolution. [A]DSL often uses DHCP to dynamically assign an internet address so the actual address of your site will change from time to time (mine changes a few times every other month or so) and you will need to update the machine offering name services (which must use a static address and be registered with an internet name registrar) for your domain to reflect your new address. There are companies offering DDNS (dynamic domain name service) for free and for a fee. Some of them give you a little client app that will automagically update the DNS server when you get a new address. Others require you to manually change the address via a web form.

Google will turn up a few lists of companies if you search for "dynamic dns".

In my case I added a small linux box to my employer's (who don't care as long as my traffic is unnoticeable and I'm not using it for-profit) network and registered it as a name server for my domain, and then set-up a secure DNS update mechanism from my DSL-connected linux box to the machine acting as the name server for my domain. If you have a geeky friend with spare static addresses who can handle name services for your domain I recommend a set-up similar to mine (it is secure and hassle-free). Email me offlist for specific details of my implementation.

Matt

-- Matt Cramer <cramer at voicenet.com> http://www.voicenet.com/~cramer/ The world is weary of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians.

-Benjamin Disreali



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