> > I don't ever recall anybody bothering to ask application developers > > whether it was okay for DHCP servers (much less NATs) to break open > > connections. > > This is a bit of a red herring--as actually implemented, most DHCP servers > provide leases long enough that your IP number doesn't change unless you > lose connectivity for a while, in which case the connection will usually > break anyway. Many ISPs routinely use DHCP as an means to degrade their customers' address stability, forcing them change addresses as often as once a day, in order to prevent their customers from running certain kinds of applications. Keith