What is 'DNS'?
DNS stands for 'Domain Name System' and is the master
naming scheme for the Internet. DNS
allows a web surfer to type in an address like
http://www.news.com and have it automatically resolved to the correct
IP address
so that its content can be delivered to the user.
What is 'Dynamic DNS'?
When a typical PC connects to the Internet through a
broadband, dialup or other connection it is often assigned
a random IP address (usually through a process called
DHCP).
The problem with a random IP address is that other Internet users don't
know your new address each time you connect. Thus, users can't easily locate your PC
when you run BadBlue or any other type of server.
Dynamic DNS helps
solve the problem. Some servers (like BadBlue) include DNS
software that determines when the PC's address has changed and sends the
change to a master DNS server. For example, BadBlue supports a naming
service called DynDNS.org.
You can sign up for a
free dynamic DNS account such as jsmith.dyndns.org.
This will allow you to distribute a DNS name that your users can type in to their
browsers' address bar (http://jsmith.dyndns.org) rather than an IP address
which can change frequently.
Can I get a 'real' domain name?
Yes, DynDNS supports fully custom domain names
(e.g., jsmith.com) and these services will require
that you pay fees to both a
domain registrar
as well as a naming service like DynDNS.
Visit the DynDNS
custom DNS page
for details on this service.
How can I get a free dynamic DNS account?
BadBlue includes all of the software you need to run both a web server
and a dynamic DNS client. The easiest way to get started is to
download and install a copy of BadBlue.
Once installed,
click on Manage >> Manage domain name and
follow the instructions.
In short,
DynDNS.org
provides free and paid naming services. On the DynDNS site,
you can sign up for a
free dynamic DNS account with a host name you choose
such as jsmith.dyndns.org (where jsmith is the
host name you might have chosen).
Does DynDNS support other server names?
Yes. When you sign up for a domain name using DynDNS, you can choose
the host name and select from one of many server names
that DynDNS supports. For example, consider the name:
