Definitions for teachers by teachers

IP Address

A lot of times my students will be surfing the Internet and ask why they suddenly saw their web page name turn into numbers at the bottom of the browser window, this is why!

Here is a more detailed article on IP Addresses:

http://www.3com.com/nsc/501302.html

by Cynthia Clark

An IP Address is an identifier for a computer or device on a network.  It is its "street address".   Networks such as the Internet (or some local area networks within buildings) use TCP/IP as a language that lets computers talk with one another.  Networks using TCP/IP identify which computer is which based on the IP address.  The DNS (see above) translates common names like aol.com and msnbc.com into IP numbers. Using DNS you can enter the IP address or the fully qualified domain name (a name like www.cnn.com) to find a computer.

The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 128.174.185.1 could be an IP address. The four numbers in an IP address are used in different ways to identify a particular network and a particular computer or another type of device (like a printer) on that network.

Within an isolated network (one not connected to the Internet), you can assign IP addresses as long as each one is unique. However, connecting a network to the Internet requires using registered IP addresses to avoid duplicates.  It's just the same as if two people had the same address within a city--it simply wouldn't work.  The InterNIC (http://www.internic.net/) assigns ranges of registered IP numbers to organizations and in general avoids this sort of problem.

The number of unassigned registered IP numbers is running out, so a new scheme for numbering that has more addresses will eventually be implemented.  If you hear any talk about Ipv6, that’s the new standard for increasing the number of IP addresses.

The InterNIC also is the place you go to get a “registered domain name”.  For example, if I wanted to set up a web page and use the address http://www.amyfahey.com, I’d contact my Internet Service Provider and they would contact the InterNIC to register a domain name.   This type of registration comes with a setup fee and a yearly fee to maintain the registration.  The domain name and the IP address the domain translates into becomes an entry in the DNS.  In some cases one domain name may translate to many different IP addresses.   This allows administrators to balance the load of traffic they receive among many different physical computers (and sometimes locations).

by Amy Fahey

IP Addresses are numeric addresses given to servers and users connected to the Internet.  An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. An IP address is most often expressed as a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255.

IP addresses keep all of the computers straight.  Each machine is assigned a unique address. An example of an IP address is 214.176.15.84.  Every machine on the internet has a different IP address.  When you dial from a modem, your machine has a unique IP address, but it may be different the next time you dial in.

To find the current IP address of your Windows machine type the command WINIPCFG.EXE.  To see step by step instructions, click here.

As far as Internet's machines are concerned, an IP address is all you need to talk to a server.  For example, if you type the URL http://128.174.90.12, you will arrive at the LRS Server.

Relevance: It is important so you can contact a server or an individual computer.  For example, my class can "call" another class via the computer if we know the other class' IP address.  I can also contact U of I's education server by typing in their IP address.

by Jennifer Haberkorn

NetHandbook Glossary | NetHandbook Home page