These terms all refer to critical
elements of connecting a computer to another computer, connecting a computer to a
server (web, FTP, or e-mail), or connecting computers to a server through firewalls
and routers. The following simple definitions are worthy of further investigation if
you encounter connectivity issues or want to become a networking expert:
Media Access Control (MAC) address A unique number given to each
and every piece of networking hardware, keyed by equipment manufacturer.
MAC addresses are typically not relevant to basic networking functions.
Internet Protocol (IP) address A set of four numbers (192.168.1.2) separated
by decimal points, that represents a specific host (computer, server, or
appliance) on a network. There are two classes of IP addresses:
Public or routable addresses Can be used anywhere across the Internet
or internal networks. Public IP addresses are provided by network
administrators and top-level Internet domain managers.
Private or unroutable addresses Cannot be used across the Internet.
They are in specific numerical groups, typically 10.x.y.z, 169.x.y.z,
172.x.y.z, and 192.168.y.z. Private IP addresses are commonly used by
consumer routers and firewalls. Routers and firewalls translate internal/
private network addresses to public addresses (the ones used by your
ISP) so that your home network data traffic can come and go across the
Internet.
Hostname A user-friendly name that translates to a specific IP address, so
we can focus on names of computers instead of complex arrays of numbers.
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