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FAQ are an American Tradition!
Do I Need a Unique IP Address?
Yes, if your web hosting account is used for business purposes, and conducting monetary transactions are essential to the operation of your business, then a unique IP address and a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate, are required to do secure transactions over the Internet. This is the most widely accepted opinion and it is shared by American Discount Web Hosting. However, IP addresses are being used faster than they become available, so ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) has laid down some rules as to who really needs an IP address and when they issue a block of IP addresses to a company, that Company must prove that they are using at least 80% of those IP addresses within ARIN guidelines before they will be allowed to obtain any more. With that in mind, we limit the allocation of unique IP addresses to those who buy and use an SSL certificate exclusively for their site and to those who need to use Anonymous FTP on their site.
So, What is it?
IP Address (Internet Protocol Address): This number is an exclusive number all information technology devices (printers, routers, modems, et al) use which identifies and allows them the ability to communicate with each other on a computer network. There is a standard of communication which is called an Internet Protocol standard (IP). In layman's terms it is the same as your home address. In order for you to receive snail mail at home the sending party must have your correct mailing address (IP address) in your town (network) or you do not receive bills, pizza coupons or your tax refund. The same is true for all equipment on the internet. Without this specific address, information cannot be received. IP addresses may either be assigned permanently for an Email server/Business server or a permanent home resident or temporarily, from a pool of available addresses (first come first serve) from your Internet Service Provider. A permanent number may not be available in all areas and may cost extra so be sure to ask your ISP.
So why is it important?
Let's look at the difference between a shared IP address and a unique IP address. A shared IP address means that the same IP address is shared by 400-500 users. When a request reaches the server, an internal router sends the request to a specific domain name. This means that even though you do not have a unique IP address anyone looking for your site will find it. This method is normally sufficient for most Domains and will not impede the functioning of your site. A unique address enables the client to have a direct line to a specific domain address without needing to be routed as much. The time difference in this case is negligible, however, this allows for secure connections and is beneficial to search engines if you need to advertise your products on the web. With a unique IP address, the client can upload the site to the new hosting account almost immediately, without waiting for a new domain name to resolve (24 to 48 hours), or for the DNS pointers to reflect the new hosting account for the transferred domain name. While there are many benefits to Unique IP addresses, ARIN requires that they be technically justified and doing business with an SSL is just one justification. American Discount Web Hosting provides unique IP addresses for your needs at only $1.00 per month paid yearly or quarterly according to your hosting plan, we only require you to give us a justification for needing the IP address when you order or we may have a justification already set for you if your unique needs require one.
