New IP address - should I do a history check?

[Tonearm]

I'm moving to a new server and IP address. Should I research the history of my new IP address? If so, how can I do that and what should I look for?

[tedster]

I wouldn't bother with IP address history. Domain names - yes; IP addresses - no.

If you are sharing the IP address, it might be helpful to do a quick check on your current IP neighbors for anything really extreme, but that's about it.

[GaryK]

I am still trying to get the major mail services like Yahoo!, AOL and AT&T to un-blacklist dedicated IP Addresses I was a year ago by my then new host. They had been used by a previous client whose account was terminated for sending spam. If I had known this at the time I would have requested different IP Addresses. But I neither knew to check into it, or if I had, how to to the check. I still don't. I only know what I do about the previous client because my host was honest with me when I asked about it.

[tedster]

Although email blacklists are not, to my knowledge, a Google Search issue - you have raised a valuable point, Gary. There are many online utilities (easily found) that will do an ip blacklist check. All you need is the IP address for the MX server (not the IP address of the domain name).

Some hosting services will rotate the MX server IP address, cycling through a dedicated group. So your MX server's IP address may change, even though your domain's IP address does not change.

[Tonearm]

My MX record just points back to my own domain name, so my MX server IP address is the same as my domain's IP address right?

[tedster]

Sounds like it.

[dstiles]

From experience, yes: check the email blacklists for a blocked IP. Also for adjacent IPs - one IP I obtained a while back was in a "bad neighbourhood" and some lists blocked the range. It came down to a sloppy hosting company.

Also be aware that private blacklists may have it, although there isn't much you can do about that since you have no way of knowing. Except for Yahoo etc - and they are a sod to get delisted from.

Also check that rDNS is not still set up for it (apart from your own, obviously) and get it removed. If it's an expired or pirated domain it could end up embarrassing you.

Also check that the IP has no history of sending out viruses or hosting hacked sites: there are services that return data on these.

It's not so much a question of google not accepting the IP. IPs are usually assigned to a hosting company. If it's been compromised once then it may well be again: the hosting company may be spammer/exploiter friendly or just be rubbish at maintaining data centre security. If so, you do NOT want to use them.

I suppose this comes down to researching the hosting company as much as the IP itself. :)