0828b848   
   From: mike-newsgroup-2008@-DELETETHISPART-.upcraft.com   
      
   Jim Nathan wrote:   
   > Here's my situation. I have broadband connection via cable, I connect   
   > to the internet via DHCP. Do I need a static IP address from my   
   > provider? Are there any additional fees that providers charge for   
   > typical VPN capabilities? Any other issues I need to coordinate with   
   > my cable provider?   
      
   No, no and no.   
      
   No you do not need a static IP from your provider.  Though having one   
   may make whatever random activity you are planning easier.  (You never   
   said why you are asking this question so without context my answer also   
   has no meaning to your purpose)   
      
   No you do not need to pay any additional fees unless you want to.   
      
   No you do not need to coordinate with your provider unless you want to.   
      
   I can only assume that you have some intended use of VPN technology in   
   mind when you posted but I cannot tell if you want to run a VPN server   
   or client.  I cannot tell which VPN technology you plan to use, and I   
   cannot tell which implementation of that technology you are considering.   
      
   Now if you would care to elaborate on exactly what you are planning then   
   the answers may change.  Some VPN servers can operate with a dynamic IP   
   using a dynamic DNS service to map a hostname to your current IP address   
   and avoid paying for a static IP.   
      
   I'm assuming that you can pick any VPN technology and even if your   
   provider is blocking certain ports or doing some traffic shaping that   
   throws certain VPN packets in the bit bucket you can change to something   
   else.   
      
   I'm also assuming that you are not running a server so you would not   
   have any problems with the terms of service of your provider for running   
   a server on your end.   
      
   Now if you are running a server, a static IP is helpful.   
   If your provider has terms of service that forbid running a server on   
   your class of connection then you may need to upgrade or you will be   
   breaking your service agreement and may loose your connection.   
   Also if your cable ISP is like my cable ISP they do traffic shaping on   
   all their connections unless you pay an extra fee for static IP and a   
   dubiously named quality of service add on.  Running a server on a static   
   IP is better than on dynamic IP's because then you do not rely on a   
   dynamic DNS service and client software to be working.  I have many   
   clients who use a dynamic IP for their VPN server because it's not   
   critical but there have been many times where the dynamic DNS client   
   stopped working or their dynamic DNS service account sent an email   
   notice that required them to click on a link to renew the account and   
   they didn't do this so the account expires.   
      
      
      
      
      
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   Mike Drechsler (mike-newsgroup-2008@-deletethispart-.upcraft.com)   
      
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