Topic: Zoneedit, DynDNS and dialup= headache.

[Steve lewis]

I would like some clarification please. I am trying to use a dynamic IP and dialup as one would use static IP and always on connection for the purpose of webserving and mail serving. I have configured my e-smith server/ gateway to dial up to my ISP and keep a constant connection. I purchased a domain name from NetworkSolutions, www.leadingedgesystems.net, registered with DynDns.org for dynamic DNSing and registerd with Zoneedit. At Network Solutions I filled out the change of name server form to the Zoneedit ns1 and ns5 name servers. Do I need Zoneedit in this equation? Is DynDns.org the only name serving that is needed. I realize that the dynamic IP may not allow me to web and mail serve but I would like to test it. Thanks for any help.

[Dan Brown]

To use leadingedgesystems.net for your dialup e-smith machine will be a multi-step process, but it's quite do-able.  You've already registered with dyndns.org, so presumably you have a domain with them something like yourdomain.dyndns.org (or .mine.nu, or whatever).  You configure your e-smith server to use this domain, and use dyndns.org to provide dynamic DNS service.

Once the e-smith box is configured this way, you'll probably want to test it, preferably from someplace other than home.  When you're sure it's working, go to zoneedit and set up an alias for leadingedgesystems.net and www.leadingedgesystems.net to point to yourdomain.dyndns.org (or whatever).  That's all you need to do.

And yes, you can do mail and web serving over a dialup connection with a dynamic IP on e-smith; I've been doing it for over a year (until a couple of weeks ago, when I finally got DSL).  It's slow, and the occasional disconnects are frustrating, but it works reasonably well.

[Steve lewis]

Thanks Dan- I my DynDNS domain is leadingedgesystems.homeip.net. I have not received confirmation from NetworkSolutions on the name server changes. Are the changes you provided dependent on the name server changes to the Zoneedit name servers or the DynDNS name servers?

[Dan Brown]

dyndns.org is already handling leadingedgesystems.homeip.net, and that isn't going to change.  Once NSI gets your DNS servers changed (which wasn't done as of a few minutes ago), you can edit the record at zoneedit.com, and that's when you'll make this change.  Once that's done, you should be able to access your e-smith box using leadingedgesystems.net.