Specially for the Network Fundi's

[TheGene]

Hi all - I have a question as regards IP Addresses - While I understand how an IP address gets allocated to a device, something has really been niggling at me for a while - will that address remain the same if I should move from Nelspruit to Upington? And if so, will it remain the same if I should ( lets say this is on a laptop) work in Alaska for a month, then in the Congo for 2 weeks, and then back to home again? I will of course need to use different ISP's depending where I go to, doesn't that affect the IP allocated?

[mister]

No your public IP address will not stay the same if you move around. Each ISP will assign you an IP address from their pool.

[ebendl]

Each ISP has its own IP address pool and assign you one of those dynamically. You can buy a pool of IP addresses directly and then keep them static, but you'll have to convince your ISP to assign you one of those, which will not happen unless you're a big corporation with lots of influence and money.

That's why there's domain names - those always stay the same. If you're hosting something at www.something.com and change your host, then they will give you a new IP address, but www.something.com will stay the same. Similarly, you could use a dynamic DNS service which maps some domain name (such as something.dyndns.org) to whatever IP address you're using at the moment. As soon as the IP address change (because your current ISP gives you a new one, or when you move ISPs), your router/ PC will tell the Dynamic DNS service "this is the new IP address" and the service will point the domain name to the new address.

[TheGene]

Very Well, thanks for that, next question is : Should one be away from ZAF for, say, 6 weeks, and then come back and use the same ISP as before, would your IP change, or would it still be the same? BTW I am talking about using dial-up ("Broadband")LOL - saw a post earlier today that siad anything under 3mbps CANNOT be called Broadband... but anyway.

[ebendl]

Depends on which service you are using - some ISPs change very seldom, some changes every night. But if you're gone as long as 6 weeks, I would almost guarantee that the IP would change.

[mister]

All the ISP's here dynamically assign you an IP from their pool when you connect, so no, your IP would change. Technically you can request a "static IP" from your ISP, but you will have to pay. If you explain why you want your IP to stay the same, I'm sure we can come up with alternative solutions.

[TheGene]

The reason I ask is cause I have reason to think I am being B**s'd by someone, I needed to make sure of the IP thing, what happens is that this person is supposed to be in the UK, yet according to IP2Locator he sent from 1. Netherlands 2. Lebanon 3. New South Wales 4. Nigeria (sic) so I just wanted to make sure before I verbally and in writing abuse him so badly that swimming from here to New York would'nt clean him off...

[Jannie031]

The reason I ask is cause I have reason to think I am being B**s'd by someone, I needed to make sure of the IP thing, what happens is that this person is supposed to be in the UK, yet according to IP2Locator he sent from 1. Netherlands 2. Lebanon 3. New South Wales 4. Nigeria (sic) so I just wanted to make sure before I verbally and in writing abuse him so badly that swimming from here to New York would'nt clean him off...

He probably used a proxy, something like TOR browser maybe. This will change your location and people usually use it to bypass something or to browse anonymous.

[Khanya]

Very Well, thanks for that, next question is : Should one be away from ZAF for, say, 6 weeks, and then come back and use the same ISP as before, would your IP change, or would it still be the same? BTW I am talking about using dial-up ("Broadband")LOL - saw a post earlier today that siad anything under 3mbps CANNOT be called Broadband... but anyway.

Yeah. That's my signature mate. And networking is my thing.

[Khanya]

He probably used a proxy, something like TOR browser maybe. This will change your location and people usually use it to bypass something or to browse anonymous.

Yeah. Proxy. If you're browsing via a proxy, the output IP address will say you're connected via an ISP in the UK, NZL, DE etc. Also tunnelers, if you're using them, your IP address will be of the application. Example, I'm browsing everything, sending emails via a Swiss ISP, when I do a whois, I live in Switzeland. This is for OP by the way.