Internet Address Questions

Internet Address questions:

• How are Internet addresses formed?
• What is a domain address?
• What is an IP address?
• What is a URL?
• How do I find people's or business' addresses?

Internet Addresses
There are two types of Internet addresses--domain addresses made up of words separated by dots (for example, world.std.com), and IP addresses made up of four numbers separated by dots (for example, 199.0.65.101).

Both types represent computer addresses on the Internet, and for many purposes, either type can be used. Numbered IP addresses represent specific computers on the Internet. Domain addresses may represent a specific computer or may be less specific.
Domain Addresses
Domain name addresses all end with a correct top-level domain. The top-level domains may be any of these:

• com
• edu
• gov
• int
• mil
• net
• org
• a two-letter country code, such as us, uk, or mx. See the country code table.

A complete domain address adds one or more terms to the left of the top-level domain, separated by dots. The top-level domain at the right is the most general; each term to the left is more specific.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced a new series of top level domains to become available for registration in 2001. They are:

• biz
• pro
• museum
• aero
• name
• coop
• info

IP Addresses
IP, or Internet Protocol, addresses consist of four numbers from 0 to 255, separated by dots. The first number is the most general, and each following number is more specific.
A network might be assigned the hypothetical numbers 185.33.27.0 through 185.33.27.255. This would give them 256 numbers to use. A very large network might be given all numbers beginning with, for example, 125.211. This would give that network approximately 65 thousand addresses to use from 125.211.0.0 through 125.211.255.255. More commonly, a network will be assigned a portion of the range appropriate to its size.