This question might reveal a huge lack of knowledge on my part about networking, but here goes:

I recently built a new computer for my sister across the country, running Mandrake 10.0. Embedded in this version is Tight VNC, which is also loaded on my PC, so it should be an easy way to network. However, both computers must access the Net via DSL with dynamic IP addressing, and so (I believe) we'd need to use a dynamic DNS management service.

But -- both my sister and I have static IP addresses for our respective businesses, so my questions is -- can we use one or both of those static IP addresses to network our computers from time to time, and therefore save the cost/bother of a dynamic DNS management service?

Thanks for any advice.

If you have static IP addresses then just use them. There are plenty of free dynamic dns services available as well if you want to use them.

But that's exactly the part I don't understand.

My own internet connection is via a dynamic IP address through DSL, as is my sister's. But is there a way to use a dedicated static IP address that I already have (for my work) to allow us to network our computers across the country using a program like TightVNC ??

I'm not sure where your work comes into things. Is that in a seperate location and on another connection?

If so, then yes - but you would just be adding another point of failure.

Let me ask this a different way. Correct me please if I'm not understanding something correctly.

If two computers each access the internet via dynamic IP addresses, such as the typical home DSL connection, then neither can access the other as a server or terminal without using a dynamic DNS management service. But it seems to me that such a service is just providing a static IP address to allow the two computers to network.

My question is whether I can do the same thing using a static IP address that is already mine. I have a corporate website, though it's not setup as a server, it's hosted. Is there a way to network two other computers using this static IP address, and thus remove the need for dynamic DNS management?

Or am I way out in left field?

A dynamic dns service isn't providing a static ip address it is providing a static domain name that will resolve to your dynamic IP address, your PC will need to run a client that periodically updates the dynamic DNS record when needed.

In this situation you are unlikely to be able to use the static IP addresses you already have as they will most likely be on different netblocks

OK. Now I see.

Thanks.