IP Address


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  Step 1:  IP Address Defined

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IP Address is the Internet protocol address. It is a unique address for each system on the network. This is equivalent to your mailing address. It uniquely identifies your residence, allowing anyone to send you mail.
  Step 2:  IP Address Example

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IP addresses are made up of a series of 4 numbers, separated by decimal points. It would look something like 111.111.111.111.
  Step 3:  IP Address Breakdown

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An IP address consists of two parts, a network ID and a host ID. Sometimes the first section of the IP address is the network ID, and the rest is the host ID. Other times, the first two or three sections are the network ID, and the last one or two are the host ID. You don't need to worry about this because it is all taken care of for you. But if you see two IP addresses that are similar: 111.111.111.111 and 111.111.111.110, then you know they are two different computers on the same network.
  Step 4:  Using Names as Addresses

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Trying to navigate the Internet by IP addresses would be quite difficult. In fact, you would have to have a list of sites and what the IP addresses are, a phonebook of Internet addresses. This already exists and is handled automatically for you. Domain Name Service (DNS) is set up to let you use names, such as www.xyz.com, in your Internet applications, and it will convert the name into the correct IP address in the background. You never need to know the numbers.
  Step 5:  IPv6

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There is a problem with the current IP address system. The problem is that it is only made up of 4 parts, and that limits the number of IP addresses available. With so many more computers and Internet connections, it's starting to fill up. The problem will get worse as more and more Internet devices get added. There is a proposal for a new system, where there would be 6 parts. This effectively adds more IP addresses than we could possibly use.