What is an IP Address
An IP address is your PC's address when it is on the internet or connected to a network. The structure of an IP address is like this:
206.190.60.37
To draw a simple analogy, IP addresses are like phone numbers. Your phone number is unique, and you are uniquely identifiable by your phone number. Similarly, when you're on the internet, your computer is uniquely identifiable by its IP address.
Structure of an IP Address
An IP address has 4 sets of a maximum of 3 numerals and each set is separated by decimal points. So we can have an IP address like 0.0.0.0 or 123.123.123.123 or like the one given above, which is actually one of Yahoo's IP address. Each of the 4 sets or numbers is called an octet. Why an octet? Because if the octet was to be viewed in binary form (i.e. in 1s and 0s) each octet would have 8 positions. So to the computer, in binary language, the IP address would appear as something like this:11010010.00110101.10011001.01011100
The above IP address has a total of 32 positions, making it a 32-bit IP address. Since the computer can understand only in terms of 1 and 0, it means that there are only a certain number of possible unique combinations with the given 8 positions for each octet. This number is 28 = 256. Therefore each octet can have any number between 0 and 255. Such 32-bit IP addresses were a part of the IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4). However, with the phenomenal popularity of the internet and the increase in the number of computers connecting to it, they're obviously falling short. Therefore we now have 128-bit IP addresses, part of the IPv6.
Why are they important?
For the same reason as phone numbers are important. To help you get to another phone and talk to other people. The IP address is what helps your computer locate other computers on the network. So when you send an e-mail to John, your computer routes it to him through John's IP address. Similarly when you want to visit Yahoo.com, you type in the URL, which is actually an IP address in an easier to remember for humans format. The computer identifies this IP address and connects you to Yahoo.
Wait a minute.. Does an IP address connect me to a website or a computer? When you dial McDonalds, are you calling McDonalds or their phone? A website might seem like it's on the internet -- which is an immeasurable and infinite space, but the website is actually on a server, in fact on many servers. When you type in Yahoo's URL (IP address) your computer connects to any of the Yahoo servers, depending on what country you're in.
How can I find my IP address?
Your IP address could be dynamic (changing every time you connect) or static (remaining constant). This depends on what sort of internet connection your ISP (Internet Service Provider) provides you with. If you have an intermittent internet connection like a dial-up, requiring a modem or a broadband then you mostly have a dynamic IP address. Computers that remain connected throughout, like those in a public library or at school have static address. Sometimes the ISP will provide each computer on the network with a permanent static IP address. To check your IP address go to Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt and type ipconfig/all. A lot of numbers and words will be displayed, along with your IP address.
