A question for the computer savvy

[nemesis]

I went to reddog's website and at the bottom of the page it gave my IP address.

Is that address unique to my computer, or will every computer in my network have the same IP address?

 

[okie362]

Depends on what kind of setup you have. Most likely it's the IP of your modem if you have a router/switch behind it.

 

[okie362]

Oh...And no 2 computers on the same network can have the same IP. Otherwise you have serious issues across the entire network.

 

[reddog1]

Ok, what are you up to? LOL

 

[Skiluvr03]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you are on a cable modem, the little program on the bottom of the page will show the IP of the Cable Company IP. It's been a long time since I was an Administrator at a site, but that's what I seem to remember when using IP tracers and such.

 

[jim7711]

If your computer is on a Local Area Network such as at work and some homes (with routers) then every computer on your same network will show that same address on any website. Your computer will have a unique ip address on your local network inside your house or office but the website cannot see that. The website will only see the ip address of the modem no matter which computer on the LAN is accessing the website.

If your computer is connected directly to a cable modem or DSL modem then that address is only for your computer.

 

[rhodesbe]

Unless especially assigned as a 'static' IP address, the external IP assigned by an ISP is part of a 'pool' and is reassigned over time.

This is where DDNS services come in handy. Suppose you have a CCTV DVR or thermostat or something that you always want to have outside internet access to.
Instead of purchasing a static IP address from your carrier, you can buy a dynamic DNS service (some are free) that keeps track of your device no matter which IP it is assigned to.

There is a lot of overblown paranoia regarding "IP addresses". Truth is, forensic logging often takes place at a much more resolute level with a much stronger association than simple IP or even MAC (NIC serial) addresses.

 

[Lithiumokc]

Its reporting the IP of your modem.

 

[Droberts]

It reports your source IP address used in the tcp session between the web server and your equipment. What the IP address resides on depends on how your LAN is setup. This can be the outside IP of your cable modem, the outside IP of your router, the outside IP of your DSL, the IP address of your PC, etc etc etc. Impossible to say what the IP address resides on from the given information.

Most DSL modems default to public outside / private inside IP scheme. This presents a problem if you want to configure port forwarding on your router. You can change the DSL modem to do a switching pass-through & allow DHCP forwarding to the ISP from within its inside interface, setting this will allow your home router to have a public IP on it's outside interface.

Most cable modems default to the opposite, they will pass the public IP address to whatever sends it the first DHCP request, typically your home router. This allows you to configure port forwarding without any fuss.

You should never, ever setup your LAN to where publicly accessible IP addresses are present on non-network equipment like your PC. Huge security risk.

Read these
NAT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_address_translation

Port Forwarding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_forwarding