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Sometimes, we use tech terms and explain things in a way that a not-so-technical person may have a hard time understanding. This blog will try to explain those terms in an easy to understand way. Enjoy!

DNS Resolution (Resolving) – During DNS resolution, a DNS server is contacted and the IP address of the URL you are trying to reach is returned. So, your computer asks the DNS server, “what is the IP address for yourhost.no-ip.com“, and the DNS server replies with the current IP address, which connects you to the correct website. This is the bread and butter of the Internet and how it works.

Delegation– Delegation is where you are assigning a group of name servers to be responsible for a domain name.  During the resolution process, the name servers that are assigned to a domain are directly asked what to respond with (what IP address) for a DNS request.

Port Forwarding– If you have a router at home or your office, you will need to forward ports in order for outside traffic to get into your network. Think of your router as being a huge electric fence or wall, with a few doors or openings. This electric fence or wall serves as your barrier and security blanket from the scary outside Internet world. Your router comes preconfigured with a few of those doors (or ports) open to let you access the internet, but the others are closed tight. So, in order to run a mail server, game server, access your computer remotely, etc you will need to open an extra door or two in your router in order for the outside traffic to get inside. This is called Port Forwarding.

IP Address– An Internet Protocol Address or IP address for short, is like your computers phone number. Without it, your computer wouldn’t be able to connect to the Internet. Every computer, tablet, smartphone, and the internet-enabled device has its own IP address (even some light bulbs have an IP address these days).  An IP address consists of numbers and periods (192.168.1.1).

Static IP Address– A static IP address is one that doesn’t change, it is assigned to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and often costs extra money. A static IP address is YOURS and will never change (unless you cancel the subscription)

Dynamic IP Address– A Dynamic IP address is one that is NOT static. It changes from time to time. If you are unsure if your IP address is static or dynamic, chances are pretty high that it is dynamic. They are more cost-effective for your ISP.

Hostname vs. Domain Name– A hostname is the beginning part of the domain, which usually consists of www. Another word for a hostname is a subdomain.

With our No-IP Free Dynamic DNS service, you choose one of our free domains, (no-ip.org, systes.net, no-ip.net) and you use a host or subdomain on it. You are essentially sharing the no-ip.org (or whatever domain you choose) domain with everyone else that uses that domain, but you just have your own little space on it. That little “space” is called your hostname.

In comparison, with our No-IP Plus Managed DNS service, you register your OWN domain name, and then you use the subdomains or hosts on that domain. No one else will be able to add subdomains or hosts to this domain because it is yours. Get it?  (Example: www.mydomain.com and the hostname would be something like…. myhost.mydomain.com)

Redundant– This is a term to explain that the network is guarded against downtime because the domain or hostname that you are using is hosted on many different servers that are located in various locations across the globe, not just one. So, if you are located in Los Angeles, and there is an earthquake, your website will stay live even if the servers located in Los Angeles are not online.

URL– Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator (URL) it is the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. (www.no-ip.com or yourhost.no-ip.org)

HTTP– Hypertext Transfer (or Transport) Protocol, the data transfer protocol used on the World Wide Web. The secure and encrypted version of HTTP is HTTPS. If you are browsing the internet and want it to be secure, add the S. Make sure websites that you enter passwords and private data on have the HTTPS. Without that S, you’re not browsing securely.

Are there any other DNS related tech terms that confuse you? Leave them in the comments!

F-Secure released a statement earlier today warning of an Olympics-Themed malware attack that is being sent via email.

Excerpt from the F-Secure website:
“The PDF exploits CVE-2010-2883, which affects older versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. A typical PDF exploit will launch a clean decoy as part of its attack, and in this case, the decoy is a copy of the London 2012 Olympic schedule circa October 2010. The original source PDF can still be found online at: london2012.com.”

What should you do? Well for starters, take 2 minutes and update your Adobe software.  Also, as always never open links or attachments in emails from people that you do not know.  Always be sure to double check links and beware of phishing scams. Check out this article for more information on safeguarding yourself online: Go Phish! Top Tips on Protecting Yourself From Phishing.

Did you receive this email? Sound off in the comments!

Job Description
We at No-IP are seeking an energetic professional to join our team as an entry-level web application developer. This position will be responsible for developing and releasing web applications for both customer use and internal corporate use, contributing to all aspects of the product development and release cycle.

Required Qualifications
Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
Proficient in HTML / Javascript.
Programming experience in SQL and PHP.
Understanding of web application security techniques.
Previous use of Mercurial or Subversion for code management and versioning
Strong written and verbal communications skills.

Preferred
Knowledge of DNS
Experience developing applications in PHP, SQL, HTML, JavaScript, and AJAX.
Familiarity with basic Linux/MySQL administration.
History of researching and resolving challenging and complex bugs.
Demonstrated proficiency with all aspects of the software development process including requirements gathering, design, and implementation, debugging, and testing.

Responsibilities
Develop Web Applications for mission critical business functions
Actively participate in all aspects of the No-IP Application Development life cycle
Work closely with Chief Technology Officer to design, implement, and deploy projects

Instructions for Applying
If you would like to apply for this position, please send a cover letter and resume in PDF format addressed to “HR Manager” detailing your interest and qualifications to hr@no-ip.com with only “Entry-Level Web Application Developer” in the subject line. Please, no phone calls about this job. (Note: Cover letters and resumes that are not in PDF format will not be opened)

Additional Information
Contact via email: hr@no-ip.com 
Location: Reno, Nevada


Compensation: Compensation for this position will be competitive and commensurate with skills and experience; compensation will include salary, paid vacation, health, dental, 401(k) and many other perks. 
Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster. 
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Does this job sound like a good fit for you? Email your cover letter and resume to hr@no-ip.com

No-IP is excited to welcome our new hire Web Developer/Designer, Casey Kennedy. Casey comes to us from the travel/hospitality industry.

“No-IP is unlike any company I’ve ever worked for. The environment is comfortable, the team exceptional. I am excited to get started on a ton of new projects,” stated Casey.

Welcome Casey!

We get this question a lot from users, so I think it is fair to touch on it quite often.

First, let’s explain what an IP address is. An Internet Protocal Address or IP address for short, is like your computers phone number. Without it, your computer wouldn’t be able to connect to the Internet. Every computer, tablet, smart phone, and internet enabled device has it’s own IP address (even some light bulbs have an IP address these days).  An IP address consists of numbers and periods (192.168.1.1).

So, what is a dynamic IP address? Well, a dynamic IP address is one that changes from time to time and isn’t always the same. If you have a  residential cable or DSL service, you most likely have a dynamic IP address. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide customers with a dynamic IP addresses because they are more cost effective. Instead of one IP address always being yours (static IP address), your IP address is pulled from a pool of addresses and then assigned to you. After a few days, weeks or sometimes even months, that number gets put back into the pool of numbers and you are assigned a new number.

This is why a dynamic IP address can make it tricky to remotely access your PC, DVR or webcam, because even if you know your IP address at this moment, 5 minutes from now it could be different. So if you are away and want to access your computer remotely, but you have the wrong IP address, you will not be able to connect to your computer.

Dynamic DNS makes a dynamic IP address act as though it’s static (does not change) even though it is not.  With No-IP you create an easy to remember hostname. This hostname is the URL that you type into your browser to connect to your remote device. Our Dynamic Update Client takes your hostname that you created (yourname.no-ip.org) and points it to your IP address. When your IP address changes, our Dynamic Update Client updates your IP address on our servers, therefore your hostname stays active with your active IP address and your connection stays available all the time.

Sometimes, routers have dynamic DNS or DDNS built into the router. With this feature, you do not need to download our Dynamic Update Client. You will just need to log in to the admin settings on your router and configure it with your No-IP username, password and hostname. This will keep your connection active for you automatically.

Dynamic IP addresses are a bit annoying, but with the right software you can get around them easily and for free. Most ISPs will not provide a static IP address to residential customers and if they do, they are often very expensive.

Additional questions or comments? Leave them below!

No-IP is in the latest version of firmware as an integrated Dynamic DNS solution for this Cisco router, hopefully more to come soon! Cheers!

Yesterday was a big day for the Internet. CISPA (H.R. 3523) the bill that we spoke about a few weeks ago, was approved in the House by a vote of 248-168. It wasn’t even supposed to be discussed until today, which is why it’s even more shocking. The bill went through a rush vote and was quickly passed with a few minor amendments.

What does this mean? This means that the bill will now move onto the Senate for approval. If the Senate approves it, then it could still be vetoed by the President, since his advisors have already threatened to veto it.

An excerpt from that statement:

“The bill also lacks sufficient limitations on the sharing of personally identifiable information between private entities and does not contain adequate oversight or accountability measures necessary to ensure that the data is used only for appropriate purposes. Citizens have a right to know that corporations will be held legally accountable for failing to safeguard personal information adequately.”

The bill passed yesterday with some amendments, but were those amendments enough to protect us and remove the severe vagueness of the bill? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no, they actually do the exact opposite. The bill is even vaguer and invading. The bill basically says that the 4th Amendment doesn’t apply online anymore. Ridiculous to say the least.

An excerpt from a CNET article:

“CISPA would “waive every single privacy law ever enacted in the name of cybersecurity,” Rep. Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat and onetime Web entrepreneur, said during the debate. “Allowing the military and NSA to spy on Americans on American soil goes against every principle this country was founded on.”

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and author of CISPA, responded by telling his colleagues to ignore “all the things they’re saying about the bill that are not true.” He pleaded: “Stand for America! Support this bill!”

The amendments to the bill can be viewed here.

So, what can you do? Follow this link to quickly and easily send a message to your Senators.

I think this government needs a tune up.

Back in November 2011, 6 Estonians were arrested and charged with creating and distributing a virus to millions of computers worldwide. The virus affects the way your computer looks up the IP addresses of websites or DNS. When you type: www.no-ip.com into your browser, your computer queries your ISPs server to ask “what is the IP address for no-ip.com” in response, your ISP tells your computer what the IP address is, and your computer successfully loads that website. Well, what the “DNS Changer” Trojan does is, instead of querying your ISPs servers, your computer queries one of the malicious servers. This whole scheme was setup in order to make a ton of money on online advertising, and it worked, until the FBI caught on.

So, back in November, the FBI successfully arrested the 6 people behind the Trojan, and replaced the malicious servers with good, happy servers. The servers were only meant to stay on for 4 months, but because of the large quantity of computers suspected to be infected with the trojan and the high level of traffic they were receiving, they were left on a bit longer. Until July 9th that is, when they will be shutdown forever.  Which will cause a MAJOR headache if you are in fact, one of the unlucky ones that was infected.

So, what can you do? Well, for starters head to this site to test your DNS. If you get the green light, you are good to go, but if you get the dreaded red light, you are infected and will have to follow the additional instructions for disinfecting your computer (yeah spring cleaning bonus round!)

I wouldn’t suggest waiting either… If you are one of the unlucky ones that has been infected, it will be much easier to fix your computer now, when you actually have a working internet connection. As opposed to on July 9th when your internet is no longer working and you now have no way to get connected to the internet to download the necessary software to fix the issue.

So, take 5 seconds right now to see if you computer is infected, okay GO!

So, How many authoritative DNS queries did  No-IP resolve a day (on average) in March on our Free DNS service?

1,353,200,000

You heard us correctly! That is a whole lot of queries! The winners are:

Stefan: 1,256,000,000

Jesse Shawl: 1,472,111,289

Congrats! Email ngoguen-giveaway(at)no-ip(dot)com

Thanks and have a great weekend everyone!

The question for the weekly giveaway is:

How many authoritative DNS queries did we resolve a day (on average) in March on our Free DNS service? (3 Winners closest to the number will win. Hint: it’s a BIG number.)

Leave all answers below as a comment and see if you can win the weekly giveaway. Winner announced on Friday April 20th. Winners will receive a sweet No-IP T-Shirt! Be sure to share this on Facebook and Twitter!