jawtheshark's Journal: Interesting: IP Address webservice

I needed my IP Address for a script and wanted to be router independent. I thought by myself: a little web service that just returns your IP address as text should exist. Scraping web pages didn't seem like an intelligent option, as layouts change. I didn't find anything, so I decided to go scraping anyway. Then I found this commend in the code of whatismyip.com:

<!--Please set your code to scrape your IP from www.whatismyip.com/automation/n09230945.asp For more info, please see our "Recommended Automation Practices" thread in the Forum.-->

Thank you Internet... Exactly what I needed!

Different solution

[Qzukk]

I found http://www.whatismyip.org/ [whatismyip.org] to be easier to scrape ;)

DIY solution

[tomhudson]

<?php echo $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];

Stick it on the server of your choice, and you're all set. No, you don't need the closing tag.

remote_addr [slushdot.com]

I usually have a script to give me the output of phpinfo on a few domains so that I can test the cookies I'm setting/getting, etc. Always handy :-)

Re:

[jawtheshark]

Of course I know that's a possibility. However, that assumes that I have a "real" server. All my (non-work) servers are on ADSL lines with dynamic IPs. It adds in another level of failure. Also, my servers both run OpenBSD and I don't have PHP installed on them, as I don't need it and it opens another level op security problems.

Basically, the dynamic IP part is what I'm trying to solve. I have an account at dyndns.org from before it became paying. This means I have 1 account that doesn't expire for my

Re:

[tomhudson]

Fair enough, but when you can get a real hosting account with 600 gigs of disk space and unlimited domains for $1.67 a month [iweb.com], and registering a domain is $8 a year (which you're paying anyway - and it's a buck for the first year for one domain as a sign-up bonus), why not get everyone you're supporting to chip in a few bucks for a real hosting account, and dole out subdomains from that?

A simple script on the client machine would then hit http://theirsubdomain.yourdomain.com?update.php?soopersekretkey=349b [yourdomain.com]

Re:

[jawtheshark]

Nice... Didn't know that hosting was so cheap these days. Last time I checked it was 6€/month. I can't expect people to pay for this. Family 'n friends, ya know.

Besides, I always wanted a .lu domain. I was surprised that one was still free. (Bought it Thursday, it's still not activated... *sigh*)

Re:

[tomhudson]

It's $200 for 10 years, so a couple of years ago, I moved everything there. So at the end of last year (December 31st) when we needed our own server, that's where we went. About $150 a month for a 100mbps connection, 10Tb/month of bandwidth, twin 1TB drives, 5 dedicated IPs, what's not to like?

But back to the $200 for 10 years bit - it's paid up for almost the next decade, so there's no big deal if anyone in my family wants some space to play around with, and it beats having to leave a machine on at hom

Re:

[jawtheshark]

I know what you mean about family and friends - they don't understand that your free time isn't free. There *is* a cure for that - let them run Windows. At that point, it's their problem. "Do I look like a maid? I don't do Windows!" works every time.

Just for the record. Those that need Windows, will have to run under my rules. My rules are: it's my installation, I'm admin, you get Limited User. Don't like that? Get another nerd.

That system works flawlessly. :-) Windows 7 is a bit more a bitch to run a

Re:

[tomhudson]

Having seen Windows 7 on a neighbor's laptop, I've got to wonder - we had the same transparent windows/taskbar under linux years ago - the first thing I did was turn it off because it made it harder to use the computer.

Why does Microsoft continue to rip off KDE? They're getting worse than Ubuntu ripping off Apple.

Re:

[jawtheshark]

I still have to write a Journal entry on my fight with Windows 7 Professional on my brothers desktop computer. Technologically it may be a step in the "future" because of the good 64-bit support. For the rest... ehm, from an Administrator point of view (for small networks, big networks get other tools) it is not a good system at all.

Well, it smells like a Vista, walks like a Vista, quacks like a Vista...

Microsoft needs to stop pandering the home user and take us IT people back in control.

Re:

[jawtheshark]

Yes, well... In their FAQ/Forums they make it clear that you can get banned if you do that. I prefer not to get banned. Especially if the script is run every 15 minutes.