IP Address

Each Internet-connected device or server has a unique Internet Protocol Address (or IP Address) that serves as an identifier. Like a street address, the IP Address is necessary for certain types of communication on the Internet. Every device that connects to the Internet has a temporary or permanent IP Address, including computers, computer modems, wireless devices, routers, printers, and iPhones. Domain names also have a unique IP Addresses.

IP Addresses are read and understood by computers as binary numbers, like other types of communication exchanged according to Internet Protocol standards. A typical 32-bit binary IP Address looks like this: 01111010.00101101.01000011.01011001. Most people don't fancy memorizing these lengthy strings of numbers, so computers can translate them into human-readable, dotted decimal number IP Addresses, such as: 66.172.6.142 or (for IP Addresses in the new, 128-bit system) this: 2001:db8:1f70::999:de8:7648:6e8. Either way, memorizing a few of IP Addresses is a definite stretch of the human brain.

In the early days of the Internet (when it was still a research tool) it was necessary to type in the binary number IP Address of a domain in order to navigate the browser to that website. Until this obstacle was knocked away, the use of the Internet by anyone other than highly technical computer geeks was unlikely. (Imagine typing in: 01111010.00101101.01000011.01011001. to get to the home page of your local Pizza parlor!) It wasn't until the Domain Name System (DNS) was created in the 1980's that researchers saw the potential for everyday people using the Internet. The Domain Name System (DNS), created in 1983, allowed people to find a website by using a string of words rather than a long IP address made up of numbers.

Certain sections of the IP Addresses are separated by periods (in a 32-bit IP Address) or colons (in a 128-bit IP Address). These sections are known as octets. There are 4 octets in a typical 32-bit IP Address. So, you can tell that the dotted decimal number IP Address 66.172.6.142 is a typical 32-bit IP Address because there are 4 octets. A 128-bit IP Address, on the other hand, may have 16 octets.

From the first octet of the IP Address, you can tell the class of the network (network class A, B, or C). The lower numbers (1-126) are class A networks, generally the largest international companies. Class B networks are medium-sized networks, such as mid-sized businesses or college campuses, and are assigned the numbers of 128-191 in the first octet of the IP Address. Class C networks are usually small businesses, and are assigned the numbers of 192-223.

A company's IP Address may also translate directly into their domain name