setting up an internet radio station - Part 4: Map a domain name to your dynamic ip address

• Intro
• Part 1: Hardware
• Part 2: Streaming Software
• -- Shoutcast tutorial
• -- Icecast tutorial - coming soon
• -- Jetcast tutorial - coming soon
• Part 3: Router Setup
• Part 4: Fix Dynamic IP
• Part 5: Add a web server - coming soon
• Part 6: Get listeners - coming soon
• Part 7: Legal issues with music - coming soon
• Part 8: Creative Commons music - coming soon
• Part 9: Paid solutions - coming soon
• Part 10: Finding a stream host - coming soon
• Part 11: Streaming tools & links

A dynamic ip address is assigned to your router everytime it turns on - even sometimes if it has been unused for a while - that means the address mapped to your network changes all the time. That is bad news if you are running a radio station - it's like your call letters and number change all the time - confusing.

Luckily there's an app for that - several companies have created a free service that will basically monitor your home ip address and update their DNS records with that information. You can use your own domain name "mystreamingradio.com" or one of theirs "reggae.servemp3.com" to give out to your listeners and all of that mapping is handled in the background by the 'dns heartbeat' application installed on your radio station box.

So let's go ahead and get that set-up:

Step 1: Set up dynamic dns domain mapping at one of the sites below (FREE)

• DynDNS.com - free - Dynamic DNS Free (DDNS) allows you to create a hostname that points to your home or office IP address, providing an easy-to-remember URL for quick access. We also provide an update mechanism which makes the hostname work with your dynamic IP address.
  Here is a list of primary domains you can create a subdomain on with DynDNS.com
• No-IP.com - Set up a hosted domain with a workaround for dynamic dns.
  Here is a list of the no-ip.com primary domains - (personally I like their *.servebeer.com and *.servemp3.com domains)

Step 2: Once that is set up - listen to your station!

• If you have set up your new static domain name and mapped it to your dynamic ip address then you can start inviting friends, family and neighbors (anybody who exists outside of your LAN) to listen.
• Launch Winamp - start playing some music
• Go to Winamp DSP plugin screen and click 'connect' button
• Launch Shoutcast DNAS Server Application - look for successful connection from Winamp in status screen
• Go to another computer and type in the address to your station: http://**subdomain name**.servemp3.com:8000
• The ":8000" tells your browser to connect to PORT 8000 (regular web pages are served on port 80 by default)
• If all is configured correctly you should see your Shoutcast status screen - click the listen link to tune in!