IP Addresses Explained
IP address (Internet
Protocol address): This number is a exclusive
number all information technology devices
(printers, routers, modems, et al) use which identifies and allows
them the ability to communicate with each other on a
computer network. There is a
standard of communication which is called an
Internet
Protocol standard
(IP). In layman’s
terms it is the same as your home address. In order for you to
receive snail mail at home the sending party must have your correct
mailing address (IP address) in your town (network)
or you do not receive bills, pizza coupons or your tax refund. The
same is true for all equipment on the internet. Without this
specific address, information cannot be received. IP addresses may
either be assigned permanently for an Email server/Business server
or a permanent home resident or temporarily, from a pool of
available addresses (first come first serve) from your Internet
Service Provider. A permanent
number may not be available in all areas and may cost extra so be
sure to ask your ISP.
Domain Names:(Domain
Name System-DNS ), this allows the IP address to be translated to
words. It is much easier for us to remember a word than a series of
numbers. The same is true for email addresses.
For example it is much easier for you to remember
whatismyip.com than 102.456.789.456 or in the case of email it is
much easier to remember anonymous@mars.com than
09.565.555.972@904.342.897.098
Dynamic IP Address:
This is the number which was mentioned above in the IP address
section. This is the formal type of IP address issued to you from a
pool of numbers allocated by your Internet Service Provider. This
is for a large number of customers that do not require the same
number all the time for a variety of reasons. Your computer will
automatically get this number and saves you the trouble of having to
know details regarding the specific network configurations. This
number can be assigned to anyone using a dial-up connection,
Wireless and High Speed Internet connections. If you need to run
your own email server, I suggest getting a static IP as most ISP’s
have blocked a range of internet addresses due to spamming reasons.
Static IP Address: An
IP address that is fixed and never changes. This is in contrast to a
dynamic IP address which may change at any time
IP version 4: Those
series of numbers separated by dots is known as Ipv4. It is a
mathematical equation which we are running out of quickly. Just
like in a home town addresses have to be created for new
neighborhoods but, if your neighborhood gets too large, you will
have to come up with a another pool of addresses. The Ipv4 is
limited to how many addresses can be created for public use.
IP version 5: This is
an experimental protocol for UNIX based systems. In keeping with
standard UNIX (a computer Operating System) release conventions, all
odd-numbered versions are considered experimental. It was never
intended to be used by the general public.
IP version 6:The new
mathematical formula to replace Ipv4 for expanding the public IP
address pool. It has not been released yet but will be very soon.
The estimated number of unique addresses is
40,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456. The old and
current standard of addresses was this: 192.168.100.100 the new way
can be written different ways but means the same and are all valid:
* 1080:0000:0000:0000:0000:0034:0000:417A
* 1080:0:0:0:0:34:0:417A
* 1080::34:0:417A