IP Address

Overview IP addresses are the way the Internet identifies each unique device connected to the Internet. Every single computer, server, or other Internet-enabled device is assigned a unique IP address. With such a high number of addresses and users online today, IP addressing has become a very complex task. Fortunately, many resources are available online about IP addresses to explain how they work. Additional issues related to IP addresses, such as IP privacy and IP address organization, offer insight into the complex realm of IP addresses.

General Information Exactly what is an IP address? Visit this hyperdictionary  page to read a brief and accurate definition. Do you need more than a simple definition to fully understand the function of an IP address? Webopedia.com provides a thorough description of an IP address, as well as links to related Web sites. Another excellent source for IP address information can be found on this whatis.com page. Here you will find detailed information about such topics as IP address classes, uses, and types. For further information about IP address classes, visit www.freesoft.org/CIE/Topics/26.htm. 3Com provides a downloadable PDF file that contains the article “Understanding IP Addressing: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know” by Chuck Semeria. This article provides a lengthy discussion of IP addresses, what they do now, and how they will change in the future.

IP Address Finders Are you interested in finding the IP address of a specific Web site? If so, some Web pages offer an IP address lookup service where you can simply enter the domain name of a Web site (e.g. www.cnn.com) to receive the IP address for that site. You can also enter an IP address and find the corresponding domain name. Link to this Web page to access easy-to-use IP lookup tools.

Finding your own IP address is also a simple process thanks to the many Web pages that offer IP lookup tools. Just click on the links below to detect your IP address automatically.

• www.edpsciences.org/htbin/ipaddress
• www.lawrencegoetz.com/programs/ipinfo/
• whatismyipaddress.com/ 
• http://www.ip2location.com/

Additional Links Web sites keep track of subscribers’ IP addresses in order to follow the number and types of users that are online, route e-mail and data to the appropriate computer; and even to help with technical problems. Considering all of this monitoring that is taking place, how does IP address tracking affect your privacy? Read Yahoo!’s IP address privacy policy to see how one of the most popular Web sites handles your IP address.

Visit the home pages of ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) and IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) for information about how IP addresses are regulated and the standards that govern the assignment of IP addresses.