Dedicated IP address hosting

An IP address is a machine name given to computers connected to the Internet to communicate with each other. This machine name is a number, which comprises of four octets separated by a dot. Each octet is made of a number that ranges from 0 to 255, and a typical IP address looks like 243.02.123.234.

This is a foolproof identification system, and all communication made on the net carries the IP address of the originating server and the destination server. This way information is not lost, even when it travels across hundreds of networks across the world.

There are two kinds of IP addresses that are used in hosting: dedicated IP and shared IP. A dedicated IP, as the name indicates, is the machine name allotted permanently to a computer that is used as a server. This machine hosts only one website, and its IP address becomes the default IP address of the website. A user can type the dedicated IP address in the address bar to access the website.

A shared IP address also is a permanent machine name allotted to a server. However, this IP address is not dedicated to any one website. On the contrary, scores of websites hosted on the server share this IP address. That is why the IP is said to be shared IP. In this case, the user needs to know the extension allotted by the server owner to be able to access it. Thus, the website’s machine name (IP address) will be like:

http://www. 243.02.123.234/~user1/

or

http://www. 243.02.123.234/~user2/

However, all requests emanating from this server will be traced back to this server only, irrespective of the site from where the query originated. Within the server, the operator redirects the queries so that they reach the right website.

Both the shared IP and dedicated IP have their advantages and disadvantages. The two disadvantages that are generally associated with a shared IP are: possibility of a blacklisting by search engines and the affect on site speed.

The first may happen if sites conducting unethical or illegal activities share the IP address with other sites. In such cases, a search engine may trace the activity of the rogue sites to the shared IP address, and blacklist all queries arising from the blacklisted IP. When this happens, all sites sharing that IP address get blacklisted.

However, in recent years the search engines have become a little more careful. They are aware that an IP address may be shared by more than one site, and their action may end up in penalizing sites that have committed no offence. Search engines therefore prefer to blacklist rogue websites by their domain name, instead of blacklisting the shared IP itself. But the danger cannot be fully ruled out.

A similar danger is blacklisting by e-mail servers. This may once again happen on account of spam being moved by a rogue site sharing the IP address. The result is that no site using the shared IP address can send mails.

The second disadvantage of a shared IP is page downloads. This is an operational problem that may result when a couple of sites on a server using a shared IP attract high volumes of traffic, and the server is unable to process the queries efficiently. The result is that other sites sharing the IP become very slow.

A dedicated IP address does not suffer from these drawbacks as long as the sites using the dedicated IP do not indulge in rogue activities. A dedicated IP address is also a prerequisite for companies needing SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption and Anonymous FTP (file transfer protocol) facilities.

The first is particularly important for sites that conduct e-commerce activities. They may find that most web hosts do not provide SSL encryption unless the site is hosted on a dedicated IP. The same is true of FTP, especially if the site is using Anonymous FTP to transfer data.

These are important advantages, but come at a cost. A website has to pay a high subscription fee if it wants to use a dedicated IP address. Dedicated IP hosting is therefore advisable for large sites that attract a high volume of traffic or conduct high-value financial transactions. The smaller sites can continue to share an IP till they achieve a size where they need a dedicated IP address.

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