An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that certain electronic devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP)—in simpler terms, a computer address. Any participating network device—including routers, computers, time-servers, printers, Internet fax machines, and some telephones—can have their own unique address.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Making Net-surfing as Easy as Pie

By: Ajeet Khurana

Wouldn't you agree that the Internet is wonderful. It connects us to people all over the world. It allows us to view information that we would otherwise be unable to read. Using it is probably easier than "easy as pie". And one of the things that helps us access the Internet, is the proxy server.



A proxy server is something like an intermediary between the computer you are using and the server that you are trying to access. This concept becomes easier to understand once you figure out its mode of working. Suppose there is a website that is accessed repeatedly from a particular computer. This site gets saved in the cache of the proxy server. So, if another user tries to visit that very site, the page is pulled up from this cache.



The advantage of this style of functioning is that the process is speeded up. This is because the proxy server can do without contacting the real server of that website to view it. The site has already been placed in the proxy server's cache.



Web proxies are proxy servers that limit their job to the net. Sometimes web proxies are used to bar websites that are provocative or offensive. They also serve another, perhaps more important, function of blocking viruses that may be present on the webpages that are being read. In fact, a number of organizations make use of proxy servers to perform these very functions. A company could even bar its employees from viewing a particular website by making use of a proxy server. Notably, the user may not be aware of the presence of the proxy server.



There are many other kinds of proxy servers that are seen in the web world. These include transparent proxies, split proxies and reverse proxies. Open proxies are proxy servers that are widely used by spammers and Internet Relay Chat users.



There is also something called an anonymous proxy server. This supplies anonymity, and hence, privacy, to the user. It does this by hiding the IP address of the user. As a result, the number of junk mails and spam that one would otherwise be abounding in are diminished significantly. It is good to use an anonymous proxy server because it keeps you protected from hackers.



There is a lot more to proxy servers than this. But the next time you are able to quickly access your favorite webpage, you will be thanking the makers of the proxy server!



Author Resource:-> The author Ajeet Khurana recommends Squid Myspace Proxy, Web Messenger, and Unlock Myspace.

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Saturday, June 9, 2007

Host Name or Domain Name


There is often confusion about what is a host name and what is a domain name.

A domain name is the name that is purchased from a registrar. It will be something like hcidata.com or hcidata.co.uk. Note that there is no www at the beginning of a domain name. A domain name can be subdivided into sub-domains - for example www.hcidata.com. Once you own a domain, there is no reasonable limit to the number (or names) of the sub-domains you can create. A sub-domain can be allocated to a host machine - for example a PC. In fact many sub-domains can be allocated to the same host machine. The way sub-domains are allocated to a host machine is to create a record in the DNS (Domain Name Servers) that records the sub-domain name and the IP address of the host machine. Any requests for a sub-domain (e.g. www.hcidata.com) are converted to an IP address by DNS and the IP address is used to route the request through the network until it reaches the host machine.

In the early years of the Internet, each sub-domain would have a unique IP address so it was common for a host machine to have only one sub domain name. Nowadays, the common practice is to have many sub-domains with the same IP address. It is also common for the domain name to be converted to the IP address of the host machine that runs the www sub domain.

A host name is the unique name of a machine. When the host operating system is set up it is given a name. This name may reflect the prime use of the machine. For example, a host machine that converts host names to IP addresses using DNS may be called dns.hcidata.com and a host machine that is a web server may be called www.hcidata.com. When we need to find the host name from an IP address we send a request to the host using its IP address. The host will respond with its host name.

IP address to Country

IP addresses are allocated by regional organisations. Therefore it is relatively easy to work out the country in which an IP is likely to reside. When an IP is allocated to a company they are expected to be used in the country the organisation resides. But, there is nothing to stop a company allocating an IP to a machine in another country. For example. A company is allocated a range of IP addresses X.Y.Z.0 to X.Y.Z.255 for use in England. This company has a private network with a branch office in New York. So, it uses most of the IP address in England but uses some of them in the States. So, we cannot guarantee that the country is 100% correct when converting an IP address, but we would expect it to be correct at least 90% of the time.



The process of finding the IP address is achieved by searching the DNS (Domain Name Servers) until a match on the domain name is found. This process is also known as DNS lookup, NSLOOKUP or (erroneously) IP lookup

The process of finding the host name (or domain name) from an IP address involves sending a message to the IP address and requesting the computer located at that IP address to return its name. Usually this will be the same as the domain name. However, many computers host many domains so the host name may be one of the domain names hosted or it could be something totally different.

There are some special IP addresses. 127.0.0.1 is always the IP address of every computer. No matter which computer you use, it will always have an IP address of 127.0.0.1 and a name of 'localhost'. In addition, a computer can have more than one IP address. In order to connect to other computers it will have an IP address that is known to other computers.

Host/Domain Name to IP Address

This page can be used to find the IP of a host machine (convert host to IP) or domain name (convert domain name to ip address) or find the name of one of the hosts at an IP address (convert ip address).

It will also show the location of IP address. The country data is about 94% accurate.


Convert Host/Domain Name to IP Address and vice versa

http://www.hcidata.info/host2ip.cgi

Check IP Address

What is my ip address ? Check here what is your IP address !

IP to Location

1. Enter the IP addresses separated by a single space in the search box.
2. Press the "Find Location" button.




Friday, June 1, 2007

Iphone: a Class Apart

Did you ever dream of possessing an all-in-one gadet of the size of a mobile phones? Well, people at Apple Inc., have heard you. And have come up with a stupendously feature-rich state-of-art gadget that boasts a never before aggregation of features of a breakthrough internet communication tool, a revolutionary mobile phone, a high-definition music system, and a high resolution digital camera into a single 'hand-held' device entity.

Come to talk on iPhone from Apple Inc., the most appropriate tag line is innovation personified. This is a superb piece of an electronic device that exudes exuberance through its graphic rich user interface. The huge 3.5 inch screen reproduces crystal images with 160 ppi distributed across 320x480 mm of screen area. Running on OS X, the award winning operating system from Macintosh, the Apple iPhone showcases a marked difference from run-of-the mill phones present in the market.

This technological powerhouse comes equipped with a 2 megapixel camera and multi-format supporting music player with integration iPod features. The EDGE and Bluetooth phone supports WiFi connectivity. However, in spite of the feature rich functioning, the phone's special attraction lies with the multi-touch input mechanism. This futuristic method helps user to make a call by simply pointing a finger at a name or a number in the address book, a favourites list, and a call log.

An innovative photo management tool and SMS application of this phone adds to iPhone's incredible feature list. The predictive soft QWERTY-type keyboard helps in entering texts fast and correctly. The beautiful wide-screen display of iPhone is worthy of a second mention. The large display of the phone lets viewer enjoy movies, TV shows, games, and recorded content all in one go, with added portability that being a mobile phone it has to offer.

Considering the incredible functionalities and the sleek body casing that this mobile phone come with, iPhone stands out from being just another mobile phone. To simply put the matter, as iPhone, Apple Inc. comes out with a future leader in the mobile arena and is class apart from its nearest competitor in every true sense.

Source: Free Online Articles from ArticlesBase.com
About the Author:

I am webmaster of best mobile phone tariff offer mobile phone with free gift and compare latest mobile phone tariff like lg prada, nokia 7373 pink and more get mobile phone news.

Friday, May 18, 2007

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