Mark, I would like to understand why you need to use access by IP address rather than DNS name. Using DNS CNAME records for URL domain lookup would seem to insulate one rather well from renumbering. JimC -----Original Message----- From: Mark J. Scheller [mailto:scheller@u1.net] Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 4:15 PM To: nanog@merit.edu Subject: IP Addresses for colocation Hello NANOG, I'm in the process of evaluating whether to transition away from self-hosting web servers to have them hosted at a colocation facility. The obvious advantages being greater capacities for bandwidth, power, cooling, and oh yes, proper methods of putting out a fire (instead of drowning the servers in water if they so much as overheat). The concern I have is this: if we decide a few months down the road that we don't like this particular colocation facility and wish to move to another one across the street, I'd have to renumber all of my hosts. Is it possible to go to any colocation facility with a block of IP addresses in hand and use them? I'm talking about a /24 here, so I cannot request the addresses directly from ARIN, rather I need to get them from some other source. I attempted to get them from our current bandwidth provider, but they seem to be a little taken aback by my request for a block of addresses that will not be routed by them -- in fact, while writing this they called to tell me they will not provide IP space unless they route to it. Is there a better way to get a /24 that can "go anywhere"? Or should I just justify a /24 at the colocation facility and go through the same process should we decide to change? Is there a way to buy a routable /24? Thanks in advance for any advice, on or off list. I will summarize unless the answer is "you're crazy, such things aren't possible" in which case I'll be off drowning my sorrows at a nearby watering hole. Mark J. Scheller (scheller@u1.net)