Expert: Brian Benosky - 6/24/2008

Question
I have a "dumb" question.  We are getting an installation at our office from a company called Logix.  They compete with CBeyond in taking care of phone and internet services.  Now one of Logix' selling point was that we can have up to 13 static IP addresses.  Can you tell me what the difference is between a static and non-static IP address - and why I would want the static IPs?  Can they be used for computers and printers or is just for the PCs?  
Thank you,
Landon

Answer
Hi Landon

Here's a quote from the Zytrax website:

As the name implies Static IP addresses are the same every time you connect. dynamic IP addresses may change each time you connect to the network (e.g. Internet).

When you do NOT need static IP addresses:

If you ONLY do things from the following list you do not need static IP addresses.

  1. If you browse the Internet.
  2. If you send and receive e-mail via an offsite server (the normal method).
  3. If you download or upload files.
  4. If you use Instant message services or chat services.

When you need Static IP Addresses:

You need one or more Static IP addresses if any of the following are true:

  1. You run one or more Web server's directly on your site that require external access (from the Internet, or Extranet but not typically an Intranet) .
  2. You run one or more E-mail server's directly on your site that require external access (from the Internet, or Extranet but not typically an Intranet) .
  3. You run one or more FTP server's directly on your site that require external access (from the Internet, or Extranet but not typically an Intranet) .
  4. You run any other service or 'Application' that requires external access (from the Internet or an Extranet). Some Financial Terminal Client applications require that you have a static IP address for licensing purposes.
  5. You allow 'incoming' Video Conferencing you may need to use static IP addresses.

How many IP Addresses do you need?

The following 'rules of thumb' apply to calculate the number of required IP addresses.

  1. If you run one of any type of server (FTP, Web, E-mail etc.) on site then you only require a single Static IP address. This is because the WarpTwo router allows 'port mapping' for just this situation.
  2. If you run one copy of any application which uses Fixed Port Numbers you only need a single Static IP address.
  3. In all other cases you need as many Static IP addresses as there are Applications or Servers that use the same Port Number.


And they can be used for either PCs or printers.  Hope that helps.

Brian