I will show you how to manage IP addresses on your VPS. With a VPS you will need to be able to assign IP addresses to the individual users, and it is important that you know how to do so.
You’ll learn about the different ways in which this can be done and what else you might need with regard to IP management.
What is an IP Address?
An IP address is a string of numbers that identifies a unique device that’s connected to the internet.
They’re not human-friendly and show up as a string of numbers. They are usually assigned by the ISP (Internet Service Provider) with whom you have your internet connection.
For example, most home users connect to their ISPs via ADSL or Fiber lines, and will most likely receive dynamic IPs.
This means that if you use your computer to access the internet right now you will observe IP Addresses in a different way than the one you used before.
Dynamic vs Static IPs
Most home users will have dynamic IPs, which means that they are temporary and change periodically.
This is done automatically by your ISP without any intervention on your part. It’s actually a good thing because it means that there are fewer devices to keep track of since you can’t use the same IP twice.
It’s also much easier to deal with dynamic IPs because you don’t have to worry about assigning them yourself.
If you want to set up port forwarding for example, then the router forwards the request based on destination ports and not source ones.
So, when you request port 80 it’ll go to whatever web server that has that port open.
Static IPs are not very common anymore because you don’t need them in most cases.
They allow you to have an IP that doesn’t change once it’s been assigned, but they also require that you manage the assignment yourself.
That means that you can’t just get one from your ISP and then forget about it.
Managing IP addresses on VPS
Why do you need to manage IP addresses?
IP addresses are needed for computers to connect to the internet. Computers use IPs to access the internet and any other network that they are on.
If computers can’t access the internet then they won’t be able to do anything.
The reason that you need to manage IP addresses is so you can assign them to different people who will be using them.
It is also important so the computer doesn’t get hacked easily, since it will have a set of rights assigned to it based on its IP address.
What’s the best way to assign IP addresses on a VPS?
Through Virtual Network Machine (VNM)
The easiest and preferred way to assign IPs on a VPS is to use Virtual Network Manager (VNM).
VNM will allow you to easily and quickly create and manage routing and IP assignments.
It allows you to create different IP pools, set up gateways and routes, and manage ranges of IPs.
Through MAC Address
You can also assign IP addresses based on the MAC address of each machine.
This will result in more work for you but it can save some money if your IPs get registered somewhere like ARIN or RIPE NCC.
You’ll need to get your MAC Addresses from gethostbyname() which you’ll then use with inet_aton(‘0x’+server_mac).
Through ifconfig
Another option is to use the ifconfig on each machine to get its MAC address.
These are all valid options to use when assigning IPs. Through IFCONFIG you’ll get the IP, gateway, netmask, etc.
Through Manual
The last way you can do it is manual, which is obviously the most time-consuming.
You’ll need to get all of this information yourself and create custom routing entries on all VMs.
Obviously, if you’re new to managing IPs this would probably not be your first choice of how to assign them.
Each VM will require its own unique private IP address within the VNet.
However, there are many reasons why you might want to use the same IP address on different machines.
For example, simplifying maintenance tasks and ensuring that all virtual services can be reached even if an individual machine is not functioning.
Using unique private IP addresses for each VM will result in VMs being unreachable from one another unless port forwarding or network address translation (NAT) rules are created.
Many users prefer to have a separate IP for each VM in order to avoid this issue and push the usability of VMs to its limit.
IP management is critical when dealing with public cloud networks like Azure or AWS, all resources must be routable via a public IP address to ensure connectivity and security throughout the entire environment.
VMs and other resources must be able to communicate with one another and allow for system administration tasks to take place.
CONCLUSION
Now that you know how to manage IPs on your VPS, you can begin assigning them to users of your services.
It is important to know about port forwarding and security so that you can protect people already on your network from unauthorized entry.
You should also be aware of firewalls for this purpose as well.
Understanding the different ways to manage IP addresses on your VPS will allow you to provide more services and better connect with your users so that they can get the most out of their experience.
If there is anything that I missed or any questions about this article, please let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I can add something to the article.
I hope you’ve enjoyed it!
