Introduction to the Internet Protocol Address

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET PROTOCOL ADDRESS

Introduction to the Internet Protocol Address

Webster University

Information Technology Management: An Overview

ITM 5000

Ms. Brenda K. Britt

Sep 26, 2008

Abstract

This paper will briefly introduce and explain how the Internet utilizes Internet Protocol (IP) Address as location indicators in process of data transfer. The author will identify and explore the different technical tools involved in this process. The research will address current technical challenges and analyze possible solutions of those issues.

Introduction to the Internet Protocol Address

In today’s ever-changing technical world, the Internet is vastly used an interchange of information to the masses. By exchanging information through the World Wide Web, people can access vital information by using a computer. The backbone of this process is the Internet Protocol (IP) Address. This paper will examine how the Internet uses tools to locate websites through the IP address, define the IP Address, and discuss the latest technical changes and challenges relating to the information technology tool.

The Internet uses common host names (i.e., www.espn.com) to exchange information from one device to another. By using Domain Name Service technology, Internet translates the specific IP Address into something humans can easily remember. The author of the website HowStuffWorks describes this transaction as:

Human-readable names like "howstuffworks.com" are easy for people to remember, but they don't do machines any good. All of the machines use names called IP addresses to refer to one another. For example, the machine that humans refer to as "www.howstuffworks.com" has the IP address 70.42.251.42. Every time you use a domain name, you use the Internet's domain name servers (DNS) to translate the human-readable domain name into the machine-readable IP address. During a day of browsing and e-mailing, you might access the...