Multiple static IPs for host?

[AssassinsKeeper]

So, I've been looking for an answer to this question for a very long time. The question is how large game hosts and website hosts get on demand static public external IPs. I know the basic concept of the network config, which would (I think) consist of a modem going to a switch, that switch managing multiple IPs and each external IP's assigned from the switch. At the moment I'm running off of Comcast's highest consumer internet (100 MBPS down, 20 MBPS up) and I know I'd have to upgrade to a business package, but I'm just really, really curious how you'd get that many static external IPs on demand, and how that'd work through the ISP.

[Guest]

Buy them from data providers. 

[Jack.EXE]

It can be achieved with VMs, as far as I know. you can get a 12 core processor, split it up into 2 to 6 VMs and run each server independently. If I'm correct, each VM gets a separate IP.

 

I'm no expert, but I've run a few game servers in this way, albeit on a smaller scale. (quad core base)

 

As for Static IPs, I'm not so sure.

[Sheldon]

Like WindSpeed said, Or they own the IP's ready, Its like DHCP on the ISP side but instead of releasing those IP's every few hours. They get reserved to you/your host till you end the contact or remove those IP's from your account. The game hosts and so on do not have modems, it works on the same principle as LAN's. The ISP's already own a range of IP's so they are able to give those out on demand. 

[rufee]

You can bind to different IP's with different servers on the same machine without running VM's. VM's however are the easiest way to leverage extra IP's just assign each one a different one (One interface many IP's).

Once you have higher level hardware running you have more options than using switches to split MAC assigned IP's.

[AssassinsKeeper]

Thanks for all the really fast responses. I do have a question, though, what do you mean by data providers? I'm a little new to all of this, but know enough to manage networks for people. So, data providers like an ISP? Or some other third party company?

[Sheldon]

A data provider is an ISP, An ISP gives you data.

[AssassinsKeeper]

Thanks, sorry for the complete noob question.