About Static IP Addresses

Overview and general information

What is an Internet Protocol (IP) address?
Computers use IP addresses to locate and talk to each other on the Internet, much the same way people use phone numbers to call someone, street addresses for sending mail, and e-mail addresses to send electronic messages to a specific person. There are two kinds of IP addresses: static and dynamic.

Why would I need a static IP address?
You may want to consider a static IP address if you:

• Host your Web site on a computer at your home or office.
• Remotely access your computers over the Internet (e.g., telnet or FTP).
• Are required to have a static IP address for access to a Virtual Private Network (VPN).learn about VPNs

Do I need a static IP address to have my own web site?
Not necessarily. However, if you store and run your web site using your computer as a server, you will need static IP addresses.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having only a single static IP address?
Advantages:
A single static IP address uses Network Address Translation (NAT), and It is used for:

• Operating a Web server
• Operating a game server
• Running a corporate Local Area Network (LAN)

Disadvantages:
Single static IP's do not provide the ability to assign a gateway address or assign a public IP address to devices on your internal network.

• If you lease a single static IP address, it ONLY provides the ability to keep the same public IP assigned to the WAN side of your broadband modem.
• If you need to assign a public IP address to devices behind your broadband modem, you will need to purchase a block of IP addresses.

Why would I need multiple static IP addresses (referred to as a "block")?
If you need the ability to assign a gateway address or assign a public IP address to devices on the internal network, you will need a block of static IP addresses.

• If a single static IP address is being leased, it only provides the ability to keep the same public IP address assigned to the WAN side of the modem and nothing more.
• If public IP addresses need to be assigned to devices behind the broadband modem, you need to lease a block of IP addresses.

What is ARIN?
ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) is a nonprofit corporation that manages the distribution of IP addresses for most of North America.

Why do I have to register my Static IP's?
Static IP addresses require registration for several reasons. Two of the most important reasons are 1) to avoid duplicate distribution, and 2) to ensure that traffic intended for a static IP reaches the correct destination.

Who has access to these numbers and how will they be used?
Static IP addresses, like phone numbers and physical addresses are largely common knowledge. Static IP addresses are used to ensure that data intended for a specific machine can consistently reach that machine, which generally is not possible with dynamic IPs as they can change over time.

How many static IP addresses can I lease per high-speed Internet telephone line?
You can lease a single static IP address from a block of several contiguous IP addresses. Each high-speed Internet telephone line can only have one block leased to it, however there are several choices of block sizes available.

# of IP Addresses	Assignable
N/A	1*
8	5
16	13
32	29
64	61

What happens to my IP addresses if I upgrade or downgrade block size?
If you want to increase or decrease your static IP block size, you will be assigned new IP addresses (you can't keep any existing IP addresses). You will then need to make the necessary configuration changes in your equipment to accommodate the new IP address assignments.

What is the difference between how many static IP addresses I lease and how many can be assigned to individual computers on the network?
When you lease a block of IP addresses, three addresses are reserved for network functions. The others are user-assignable to individual computers or servers.