The VMIP stands for Virtual Mail Identifier Prefix and is a part of the FutureQuest configuration that we are particularly proud of!

The HTTP/1.1 protocol (shared IPs) offers quite a few benefits to web sites that it delivers, but had a problem with distinguishing usernames where email ownership is concerned. Due to this problem many web hosts that opted to use HTTP/1.1 cannot allow their clients to share the same usernames with their email addresses. If someone at example.com chose to use sales@example.com then the owner of otherexample.tld could not have sales@otherexample.tld, forcing them to chose something like sales2@otherexample.tld instead. We have all seen email addresses like Sam452@example.net.

FutureQuest felt this was an unacceptable work around! As a result Andrew Gillespie, FutureQuest's CEO and sysAdmin, created VMIP- to solve the issue.

The VMIP- allows every domain on the FutureQuest servers to have a sales@ email address as well as any other username they so choose, even if the account shares an IP address!

Though the VMIP- may be confusing when you first see it, it is easy to understand why it is something to be grateful for rather than something to be disappointed with. The VMIP- allows for a much greater service and more functionality with your email on a Shared IP than a non-VMIPed address would allow.

A common confusion is found when trying to decide when to use your VMIP- and when to just use your UserName/LoginName. Below is a guide that should help.

YES Use VMIP- for
Extra FTP accounts other than your main FTP account.
If you do not have a dedicated IP address you will use the VMIP- for email setup of POP accounts. Alternatively, you can just use the full email address as the username. Using the example above, you can just use sales@example.net (example.net being replaced with your domain name).

NO Do Not Use VMIP- for
Normal FTP/SFTP access (main FTP account)^*
SSH access
CNC access
Email setup, if you have a dedicated IP address.
Anything not listed in the YES section.

^*Please note that, for security reasons, FutureQuest recommends the use of SFTP instead of FTP, support of which can be found in many current file transfer programs.