Host Multiple web sites with 1 IP address???

[rcristel]

I am setting up a win2k server that will be hosting around 40 sites. My ISP charges $5 per IP address and I would like to minimize them to save money. Is there a way to host multiple web sites with only one IP address?

Can this be done without effecting search engine placement?

What are the drawbacks to doing this?

TIA

 

[Lats]

I don't know how windoze servers work, but I have about 150 seperate sites on 1 IP on a Linux server.

I'd imagine it would work the same way.

You really only need a unique IP for secure transactions i.e. an E-Commerce site.


Lats...

 

[eCommando]

Yes, you can host multiple sites with IIS using just 1 IP.
I think it's called Virtual Web Servers.

 

[yesonline]

YEs, you may install apache server for windows and it works for multiple domains with only one IP.

 

[pixelman]

Yes, you can do it in IIS of Windows 2000 Server easily.
I have been doing it many times.

After you create the new web site, right click the site to go to Properties, click Advanced... button at the right of IP Address box,
then click Add... to add a Host Header. The host header is the domain name that tells IIS which site to retrieve (since many sites share one IP). Tips: one web site can have mutliple domain names too by adding more Host Headers.

The only drawback is you can't browse the site by using IP such as http://123.123.123.123. Without the host header, IIS doesn't know which site you want to access. Another thing is you can't use this single IP to setup multiple ftp sites. IIS doesn't support multiple ftp servers to sit on one IP (can't add host header too). You can use one ftp site for all customers, then create mutliple virtual directory so the customers can logon and be mapped to their individual wwwroot (also their ftproot).

I am not sure whether Windows .NET can support multiple ftp host header. You may check it out.

Hope this helps.

 

[rcristel]

Thanks pixelman,

I looked into host headers on microsoft sites.

This is exactly what I was looking for... I did however find out that you also cannot use SSL while using host headers... but that's ok, i'll just pay the extra $5 when SSL is needed...

Thanks...