How to connect to reliably connect to a mac with a dynamic ip?

nordstrodamus

Actually I have another wrinkle to this problem. The computer I want to connect to get's it's ip from an airport base station that uses a dynamic ip and then distributes the 10.0.etc... ips to connected computers.



So how does one make an alias or something so they can connect to the computer even when it's ip changes all the time?



How do you connect to a computer using the airport distributed ips anyway?

alcimedes

you don't as far as i know.



if your machine is getting it's IP from a DHCP server, that ip behind your wireless are ones you can't connect to.

xaqtly

The answer is Jaguar. Rendezvous will solve that problem nicely.

stupider...likeafox

I haven't actually done this but in theory:



you use the ip address of the airport, then you set up port forwarding to send port 80 to your machine running the webserver.



If you can get a static ip address then you are set. If not go to dyndns.org and get an account that will map an internet address to the ip assigned by your cable modem company. A small program runs in the background and updates the dyndns info every time your ip address changes.



hope this helps

eelco

I've seen a lot of people using DHCP when there is no actual use for it (like a large number of computers who need unique IP nr's). So the simpel way to solve your problem might be to just change the config of your basestation and give the computers a static IP.

neutrino23

I was doing something like this. Maybe this will help.



I wanted to connect to my computer at home from my computer at work just as if it was on the local network sitting in the next room.



1. I enabled file sharing on the computer at home (in OS X).



2. I configured the router to connect the AFP port (port 548) to my computer. (You can see the full list of tcp/ip ports at <a href="http://www.good-stuff.co.uk/useful/portfull.html.)" target="_blank">http://www.good-stuff.co.uk/useful/portfull.html.)</a>



3. I pointed my browser to myipaddress.com to find the IP address assigned to my router.



Now from work I could select Go / Connect to Server from the Finder, enter the IP address found in step 3 and be connected to my home Mac.



To keep up to date I wrote a small script that would invoke iCab to get the page from myipaddress.com and extract the IP address and log it. However, it turns out to change so rarely (about once in six weeks) that I just manually update my information at work when it changes. You could email yourself when it changes. You could also use one of the various service (as described in a previous post) that tracks your IP address for you.



You might also try searching macosxhints.com.

nordstrodamus

[quote]Originally posted by Xaqtly:

<strong>The answer is Jaguar. Rendezvous will solve that problem nicely. </strong><hr></blockquote>



Ok, I admit that after hearing this I kinda put things on hold with respect to some of the other suggestions about setting up ports and all. But when I got around to trying it again in a post-Rendezvous world (both my computers on Jaguar) I still have no better luck.



If Rendezvous makes it easier to connect to a computer behind a lan then how exactly? I've got the LAN IP and the WAN IP. What do I do next?

thuh freak

how are you connecting to the computer? what are you trying to access?



if its a web page, or an ftp server, you can type in the rendezvous name (from the sharing panel in System Preferences, on the computer which your trying to connect). It defaults to something like "ComputerName.local". I'm fairly certain that the ".local" isn't even necessary. You can change it to anything (anything without spaces or certain other naughty characters). Then, to access a web page with that address, instead of the ip. Example: 'http://ComputerName.local/'. The rendezvous name may work with other programs and services too, but i only have tried it with ftp & http (& ping).



[ 01-09-2003: Message edited by: thuh Freak ]</p>

nordstrodamus

[quote]Originally posted by thuh Freak:

<strong>how are you connecting to the computer? what are you trying to access?</strong><hr></blockquote>



AFP from a computer on a completely differnt LAN.



[quote]<strong>if its a web page, or an ftp server, you can type in the rendezvous name (from the sharing panel in System Preferences, on the computer which your trying to connect). It defaults to something like "ComputerName.local". </strong><hr></blockquote>



Type in to the "address" field of the connect to server box I assume? And how exactly? for ftp do you do ftp:/"Rendezvous name" so I would just substitute afp for ftp?



[ 01-09-2003: Message edited by: Nordstrodamus ]</p>

thuh freak

[quote]Originally posted by Nordstrodamus:

<strong>Type in to the "address" field of the connect to server box I assume? And how exactly? for ftp do you do ftp:/"Rendezvous name" so I would just substitute afp for ftp?</strong><hr></blockquote>



well, wherever you would put the address normally as an ip, replace with the rendezvous name, so yea.



if that fails, just ping (in terminal) the rendezvous, then use the ip it gives you. ex: 'ping rendezvousName.local'.

stupider...likeafox

[quote]Originally posted by thuh Freak:

<strong>

well, wherever you would put the address normally as an ip, replace with the rendezvous name, so yea.

</strong><hr></blockquote>



I thought rendezvous only works if your on the same LAN.