Our company has clients that interface with our FTP server very frequently and thus require a static IP for their convenience. We use a cable modem to connect to the internet which therein lies our problem - our cable ISP only supports DHCP so when there are outages (which happens frequently), we gotta call up every single client and inform them of the new IP addy (PITA) so they can log into our FTP. It was suggested that a dedicated T1 line be used but my boss is a cheap bitch and doesn't wanna shell out $700 or so a month for that. He's the type who tries to save/cut corners in the wrong places - only sees the short term. He even wants the FTP aspect of our network outsourced and hosted elsewhere based solely on these outage problems which IMO would cost way more in the long run - a dedicated static line would virtually eliminate all our core problems.

Besides discussing how my boss has no business sense and is a total idiotic fool, are there any ISPs that support static IPs that are generally cheaper than T1? TIA.

 

Well, with my cable modem (and DSL), I have too have a dynamic IP address. I just DNS my domain name to it, and have people connect via that domain name. In the event that I lose my address (almost never happens), I just change the DNS pointer to the new address. People who connect to my site have no idea it even happened.

Keep in mind the DNS records can sometimes take up to a few days to propogate (but usually very fast for me).

 

My company was too cheap to get a T1 too. I am currently paying 259 a month for a ADSL 1.1 Megabit (supposedly) connection), we were given 5 static IPs.

 

almost all ISPs provide static IPs for DSL or Cable if you ask them. We had DSL when it first came out at my old company and we had to pay like $10/static ip. Shouldn't be too hard to find. You can now get SDSL which is Synchronys DSL which gives you equal up and down stream. ADSL gives you very high download speeds, but slower upload speeds. If you are trying to run any type of server over the line go with SDSL. In fact there are even higher speed DSL now then SDSL, called HDSL I believe. With all the options available, T1s aren't necessary for most companies. Do a little research and you might be surprised at how much bandwidth you can get for a reasonable price.

 

Yeah - I agree with RiceBurner. Most DSL connections that I'm aware of offer / provide a static IP. I believe several cable companies offer "business class" service that also provides a static IP. This shouldn't be all that hard to do.

Dave

 

Sounds like dynamic DNS would work for you. I have no personal experience with it, however. In any case, there are quite a few organizations out there that offer this server (it doesn't matter who your ISP is, btw) so just Google for it and see what you can find.