I have heard that my computer can be identified by its IP Address. What is an IP Address?
An IP address is a number, much like a street address or phone number, that uniquely identifies the devices that are connected to a network. These devices use IP addresses to locate and communicate with each other.
IP addresses are not just limited to computers, since many consumer products these days are Internet enabled. Routers, cellular phones, Internet telephones, video game systems and other such devices are all identified by IP addresses when they are connected to a network.
IP addresses may or may not change, depending on what they’re being used for. Home computers and other such devices may be assigned a different IP address each time they connect through their Internet service provider, although many broadband providers do not change a client’s IP address for months at a time. Dedicated servers that are online 24/7 (such as web servers) and provide some type of service usually do not change their IP address. These servers have one dedicated IP address, so that they can always be easily found.
How to find your IP address
The easiest way to find your IP address is to visit one of the many sites on the World Wide Web that are set up to tell you your IP. Just Google for “What is my ip” and you’ll find links to many of these sites.
[tags]IP Address,Networking[/tags]
