With the development of Internet technologies and websites, the question arises of how information from the server will get to the computer device at the request of the user without using an address. It's like sending information to the ocean without knowing the address of the recipient. It is for this reason that each computer machine connected to the network has a unique address consisting of four parts separated by dots. What is the data transfer scheme, how does IP work, and what does it consist of, what is it - fixed and floating types of addresses?
What does the IP address of the device consist of and how is it assigned
The network administrator automatically assigns a unique address to any computer connected to a router or a regular cable. Through it, the user gets the opportunity to access all servers located on the Internet, or computers on the local network. Address numbers are taken from the interval from 0 to 255. There is not a single address on the Internet that duplicates an existing one. It turns out that the IP devices, like your identification number, are individual in nature. It is through the computer’s IP address that you can access sites, download information or send it to someone by mail, social network or other programs such as Skype.
To find out what web resources a particular computer uses, you need to contact its provider directly. Thus, this information is calculated quickly enough, unless, of course, the computer user bothers to hide the IP through the Hideme.ru online service or another, more expensive software anonymizer.
In addition, IP is an excellent opportunity to track the physical location of the computer, up to the city. So, for example, in the VKontakte social network there is an opportunity to trace from which IP address the attackers could log into your account. Having learned this information, you can easily calculate the country and city from which you entered the page.
Types of IP Addresses
Many do not know not only about the existing types of addresses, but also about the IP itself: what it is, how it is decrypted, and what it consists of. Let's try to understand these issues.
If the computer machine is connected only to a private network, it has an internal address. It can be called in different ways: gray, local or private. In different networks, it is possible to use the same address, that is, it can be repeated. The public type may be the only one among all possible options. It can be called global or external. Thanks to him, we have access to all files and web resources. To increase the number of addresses resort to their translation. What it is? Using NAT technology, only the gateway number is displayed on the network, all computers connected to the network will have only one IP.
In addition to internal and external separation, there is a static, assigned to your computer and not changing with time, and dynamic IP-address of the computer. With every Internet connection, the dynamic address may change. To permanently secure the same IP, there is a paid option to connect a fixed address. It is provided by your provider. Thanks to a fixed IP address, your computer can become a server on the global Internet.
Existing IP Network Classes
- Class “A” ranges from 1 to 126. This is the largest class of networks. It has 16777216 host addresses.
- “B” has values from 127 to 191 and has 65,536 nodes.
- In class “C” IP addresses - what is it? Usually these are small networks. The class contains 256 addresses.
- There is also a multicast network address. It starts with a sequence of binary code 1110 and belongs to class D.
- Class E addresses are already reserved for future use.
How to find out your IP
There are several ways to find the IP address. One of the easiest methods to find out the address of your PC is to use the command line. You can call it by writing "cmd" in the search bar if you are using Windows 7.
You can call it the same way in Windows XP.
Having registered ipconfig, you will see on the monitor screen not only your current IP, but also other parameters, such as the main gateway and subnet mask.
There is another way to find out your IP - through the many existing online resources. Such websites can show not only the address, but also the provider, your physical location, the operating system used, and even the browser. Such web resources for calculating your IP will display all the necessary data for free. It is possible to view the internal IP of a computer device by going to the properties menu of your local network connection.
Services for determining someone else's IP
You already understand a little how to find out your fixed or dynamic address of a computer machine and a little about the concept of IP: what it is and what classes it is divided into. Now, for the purposes of awareness, you need to consider how to determine the address of someone else's computer. Such information will help to reveal the attacker or find out the address of your interlocutor. There are services that can show this information. It is necessary to generate a link on the site tracking someone else's IP address. As soon as the user of another computer clicks on the link, the resource will automatically determine his IP and save it in his report. Thus, you can find out the address of the computer of your interlocutor.
conclusions
The basic information about IP was mentioned above: what it is, what types and classes it is divided into, the main ways how to determine your and someone else's address. But you must remember that you can not use someone else's IP address for any negative purposes. This is not only illegal, but also immoral. In our high-information age, there are many opportunities to learn more detailed information: how the network address of the Internet Protocol Address node works, how to organize your server and a ton of other data related to connecting to the global global network. Many people ask: "Why should my IP be unique and what do the numbers in it mean?" The question is simple. As everyone knows, a computer device operates with numbers. A special coding system processes any information signals, translating them into binary code, and so does the exchange of information over the global network. Signals are transmitted over a twisted pair cable through a specially translated protocol TCP / IP, NAT (Network Address Translation) or others. A dedicated address allows you to find out where the signals are coming from and where to send them. Here is such a small data transfer scheme.