viewpoint, a small number of addresses can serve a large number of people
because not everyone will be online at the same time. For most Internet
services, a dynamic IP address works well because it is the ISP’s job to
route that information to you, and it sits in the middle—between you and
the service you want to use. But a dynamic IP address changes, and if
someone needs to find you at the same address (if you run a website or a
file transfer site, for example), an IP that changes every time you log on
does not work well. For that, you need a static IP address. Because your ISP
cannot reuse that IP address for its other customers, it will likely charge you
more for a static IP address than for a dynamic one. Average consumers do
not need the benefit of a static IP address and so are happy paying less for a
dynamically assigned IP. Also, an ISP can provide DNS information
automatically, thanks to DHCP.If you are using DSL access or a cable modem, you might have a dynamic IP
address provided through DHCP, or you might be assigned a static IP address.
You might automatically be provided with the names of the DNS servers if
you use DHCP, or you might have to set up DNS manually (in which case you
have to know the IP addresses of the DNS servers).
In all cases, you have to know your username, your password, and, for the
configuration of other services, the names of the mail servers and the news
server. You can obtain this information from your ISP by specifically asking
for it.
NOTE
The information in this book helps you understand and avoid many
connection issues, but you might experience connection problems. Keep the
telephone number of the technical help service for your ISP on hand in case
you cannot establish a connection. But be aware that few ISPs offer Linux
support, and you might need to seek help from a Linux-savvy friend or a
Linux user group if your special circumstances cannot be handled from the
knowledge you gain from this book. Of course, the best place to look is on
the Internet.Configuring Digital Subscriber Line Access
Ubuntu also supports the use of a digital subscriber line (DSL) service.
Ubuntu refers to the different types of DSL available as xDSL (which includes
ADSL, IDSL, SDSL, and other flavors of DSL service), and you can
configure all of them by using the Internet Connection Wizard. DSL service
generally provides 256Kbps to 24Mbps transfer speeds and transmits data