IP Address

IP address is the abbreviated form of Internet Protocol address. It is an address that provides a distinct identity to a computer or device on a network. All computers connected to the Internet are assigned IP addresses to locate each other.

IP address is an essential aspect to route information and it functions just as a street address or postal address. Although there are many IP versions, two IP versions are now in widespread use. One is IP version 6 (IPv6) and the other is IP version 4 (IPv4), each of which has unique definitions of IP address.

Internet protocol address of the IP 4 version is made up of 32 bits separated by dots or periods, consisting of four sets of numbers ranging from 0 (binary 00000000) to 255 (binary 11111111). For e.g.: 193.165. 0.18 is an IP address, in which the first and second numbers denotes the network address that is used to locate a certain LAN (Local Area Network). The last numbers indicate a computer on that network. Suppose, if you are on the network 193.165. 0, then you might have an IP address in the form 193.165. 0.19. Yet another system on the same network might hold an address of the format 193.165.0.20 and so on.

IP addresses can indeed identify any server on the Internet; however, domain names are more commonly used by Internet surfers because of the ease of using them. Domain names are translated into IP addresses by the DNS server and these IP addresses are made use of to connect to the server.

Furthermore, there are static and dynamic IP addresses. If you utilize a static or unchanging IP address, then the address of your computer can be easily identified by other people. At the same time, dynamic IP address is the address that is assigned automatically by the Internet service provider. It is not stable; the address keeps on changing each time you log on.

The central authority responsible for managing the allocation of IP address is Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).