Jim Campbell
jwcampbell@gmail.com
Michael Hill
mdhillca@gmail.com
An IP Address is like a phone number for your computer.
What is an IP address?
“IP address” stands for Internet Protocol address, and each
device that is connected to a network (like the internet) has one.
An IP address is similar to your phone number. Your phone number is a
unique set of numbers that identifies your phone so that other people can
call you. Similarly, an IP address is a unique set of numbers that identifies
your computer so that it can send and receive data with other computers.
Currently, most IP addresses consist of four sets of numbers, each
separated by a period. 192.168.1.42 is an example of an IP
address.
An IP address can either be dynamic or static. Dynamic
IP addresses are temporarily assigned each time your computer connects to a
network. Static IP addresses are fixed, and do not change. Dynamic IP
addresses are more common that static addresses — static addresses are
typically only used when there is a special need for them, such as in the
administration of a server.