What is an IP adress and what is it for?

Question

I was told that it's so that someone can track where you are emailing from any other uses?

so on all the email i send it should have the same ip address? what if i'm using a company computer?

if someone goes through the trouble can they find out what city, town or country an email is being sent from?

Answer 1

Ip is short for 'Internet Protocol'
It is assigned to a single computer or a computer on a network
for the purpose of directing data back and forth over the web.
Though not the primary function, it is possible to trace emails, im's, etc. by the IP address.

Answer 2

An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique number that devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP). Any participating network device — including routers, computers, time-servers, printers, Internet fax machines, and some telephones — must have its own unique address. An IP address can also be thought of as the equivalent of a street address or a phone number (compare: VoIP) for a computer or other network device on the internet. Just as each street address and phone number uniquely identifies a building or telephone, an IP address can uniquely identify a specific computer or other network device on a network.

An IP address can appear to be shared by multiple client devices either because they are part of a shared hosting web server environment or because a proxy server (e.g. an ISP or anonymizer service) acts as an intermediary agent on behalf of its customers, in which case the real originating IP addresses might be hidden from the server receiving a request. The analogy to telephone systems would be the use of predial numbers (proxy) and extensions (shared).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address



more info on:

http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci212381,00.html

Answer 3

They can only track you if your email program sends you IP with the email. THen, they can figure it out. All computers have a different IP address. Your ISP changes them if you have a dynamic PI Address , if your ISP gave you a static IP address, then it stays the same. If you have a dynamic, then it will change after your a disconnected form the net for about 5 hours. THis is for DSL, CAble, etc. Not for Dial-up, im not sure aobut that.

Answer 4

Every machine that is on a network (a local network, or the network of the Internet) has a unique IP number [four sets of numbers divided by period with up to three numbers in each set. (Ie 64.139.27.165)] - If a machine does not have an IP address it cannot be on a network. Most machines also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember.

Answer 5

Uses? Not sure what you mean. An IP-address is like your mailing address. It's so other computers on the network (or internet) know where the data is from and where to reply to. It is used for all things in the network.

Answer 6

Machines don't use things like www.yahoo.ca to refer to each other, they use IPs. This is a very elementary component of Internet, I can track anything floating on the Internet by IPs if I do put my mind in it.

Answer 7

it is your internet protocol number every computer has their own, unique to that computer. could be used for tracking.