[olug] noob question

[thelarsons3 at cox.net]

> go.  Currently, when I want to ssh into my server, inside my network I
> use 192.168.1.103 and outside I use xx.xx.xx.xx (different from inside).
> How do I set the name on my machine so it is broadcast?  
> 
> To make a question really long, I want to type mycompname.mydomain.com
> from ANYWHERE and get to my server.  
> 
> So, how do I do that?

If you have a static IP from your ISP, you can probably set it up with your registrar for a small fee (most offer name server services) or even as part of the standard package.  Or maybe there is somebody here that wouldn't mind setting up name service for you.

If you have a dynamic IP, like most people, you can check out dyndns.org.  There you can set up a hostname like jchurchill.dyndns.org (they have other top level domains too) that will be directed to you.  On your local box you have to run some kind of client that periodically checks your IP and updates DynDNS (if it has changed from the last time).  It seems you have more than one machine at home, so you just need to set your router to do NAT - mapping incoming traffic to the correct internal IP.

I was using a client written in Perl called ddclient that was working well, but in recent months seems to hang.  (I get the emails from DynDNS saying my name was going to expire.)  I haven't checked for ddclient updates recently.  Or maybe my installation of Perl is buggy.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Tim

-- 
Tim & Alethea