Every device on a network is assigned an IP address.
Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses are unique sequences of numbers assigned to devices on a network. These addresses form the foundation of the Internet, helping devices find each other and communicate to share information. Although IP addresses are a vital part of the Internet, many users can surf the Internet for years without knowing anything about IP addresses. However, knowing about them can help you diagnose network issues, connect remotely to your other computers and connect directly to servers in games or other software.
Instructions
1. Find your IP address and make sure it is unique on your home network. Home routers are typically set to Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP mode, which automatically assigns IP addresses to devices as they are attached to a network. However, all operating systems allow you to set IP addresses and other network settings manually. If two machines on the same network have the same IP address, conflicts can cause the network devices on both machines to malfunction.
2. Ping other computers or web addresses to find the IP address. Every website is hosted on a server that has its own IP address. Using the ping command, you can send a signal to a web address that is then bounced back if the connection is successful. Every major operating system features a version of the ping command, which tells you if you can connect to the address you are trying to reach. For example, a ping sent to http://www.google.com returns the IP address for the search engine: 74.125.225.19. Entering the numerical address in a web browser will open Google's main page as if you had typed in the full website name.
3. Connect directly to a remote computer or server using an IP address. If you wanted to remotely access another computer on your network running Windows, you can do so using the Remote Desktop application. But before you can connect, you need the remote computer's IP address. Once you have the address, enter it into the connection window for Remote Desktop and you instantly have access to the machine. Other protocols such as FTP or SSH, important tools for web developers, also require web or IP addresses so you can connect to the server.
Tags: other computers, ping command, remote computer, Remote Desktop