Your IP Address is 38.107.179.243 in -, -

Internet Protocol Address (IP Address):

This internet protocol address, commonly called an IP address, is the exclusive number assigned to each of your information technology devices (printers, routers, modems, etc.) The IP address is used to identify the devices to the network, allowing them to communicate with the other devices on your computer network using the digital standard of communications called an Internet Protocol standard (IP).

For the purpose of clarification, the IP address is comparable to your home address and your network is the town you live in. In the real world, you receive mail at home because the sender uses your correct mailing address (IP address) in your town (network). Without the correct address, mail gets lost or returned to the sender.

The internet is comparable to a huge postal service delivering packages to all of the devices on the internet. Without your specific IP address, the information intended for your computer cannot be received. Adding to the confusion is the fact that IP addresses may be assigned permanently as a static IP (Common applications include email servers and business website servers) or a temporary Dynamic IP, from a pool of available addresses on a first come, first served basis from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). A permanent IP address, or Static IP, may not always be an available option in your area and the service may cost extra so contact your ISP to determine if this option is available or cost effective for your application.

Domain Name System (DNS):

The domain name system translates your IP address into the memory friendly words we all recognize as web domain names and email addresses. This is more for the benefit of the humans using the computer than for the actual machine. While your computer can easily remember that 192.168.1.1 goes to a specific site, you might have a bit more trouble remembering a different sequence of numbers for all of your favorite web pages. DNS resolves this issue by translating the numeric string into the domain names we can remember.

Dynamic IP:

Dynamic IP's are constantly subject to change. These are the most common IP addresses and they are generally allocated to internet users from a pool of available IP addresses on your ISP or DHCP Server. When you establish an internet connection, your ISP quickly runs through a list of open IP addresses and assigns you the first one on the list. Your computer will automatically retrieve a new IP address when you log in to the network so you don't have to deal with the hassles of remembering the details of specific network configurations. Since the dynamic IP address is randomly assigned to anyone using a dial-up connection, Wireless and High Speed Internet connections, these IP addresses are not appropriate for running web or email servers.

Static IP:

The Static IP is a fixed IP that remains constant. Because the IP address never changes, the Static IP is the preferred choice for web servers and email servers. Most ISP's will offer either a single static IP or a block of static IP's at a small additional charge.

IP version 4:

IP Version 4, or IP v4, has been the most common IP protocol for many years and it is currently in use by the majority network devices. IPv4 is limited to 4,294,967,296 IP addresses and, with the popularity of the internet for home and business users, the available IPv4 IP addresses are running out. To resolve this issue, new IP versions are being developed. IP v6 is beginning to see use and will see a great deal of utilization and development in the near future.