IP Addresses
IP Addresses and Datagrams The IP protocol, which is one of several TCP/IP protocols, provides a hierarchal, hardware-independent addressing system—in other words, it’s the built-in networking software on computers that is needed for delivering data on a complex, routed network like the Internet. Although it’s the network adapter on a computer that has a unique…
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The “IP” part of IP address stands for “Internet Protocol.” The “address” part refers to a unique number that gets linked to all online activity you do…somewhat like a return address on a letter you’d send out. (All this happens in milliseconds.) That’s the end of today’s lesson. At least it should be. Because from…
[Read More]Here are the cold hard facts: An IP address is a 32-bit binary address. This 32-bit address is subdivided into four 8-bit segments called octets. Since only a fraction of people work with 32-bit binary addresses or even 8-bit binary octets (math and computer types), the IP address is almost always expressed in what’s called…
[Read More]We don’t “own” our IP address—for instance, it’s not like a homeowner’s address, which is linked to a piece of land and a building on it. Your IP address can change and it’s never really tied to your name or address, at least not in a way the public can see it. But this doesn’t…
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How Your IP Address Could Lead Anyone to Your Front Door You probably don’t think too much about your IP address, but maybe it’s time you did. Most people (and maybe you) know their IP address is a digital address of some sort that helps the Internet deliver content to your computer. And perhaps you…
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A hacker is simply an online vandal, if you think about it. What do vandals do but damage things that don’t belong to them, for no good reason other than to do it. A hacker wants to worm his way into a network of his choosing to do serious (or not-so-serious) damage, such as stealing…
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Do you know anyone who doesn’t use email? It’s not likely. Email is as common as having a telephone for just about all of us. There are about two billion email users around the world. In 2012, Google said it had 425 million email users worldwide, and Microsoft said it had more than 360 million…
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When you sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), you will either end up with a static IP address or a dynamic IP address. What’s the difference between the two? Haven’t you ever marveled at how the internet knows how to get information directly to your computer? It’s not magic: your IP address is…
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