On what basis are IP numbers assigned to PCs, and exactly what bears the number - the PC as a whole or some key component?

gmackematix

According to the following a registry issues Internet Protocols in blocks of numbers as they are available to Internet Service Providers who allocate them to each internet user. I don't know much about these things so someone please correct me if this is errant nonsense but I imagine they are stored on the processor. I do know they are given in base 256 so the IP number 1.1.1.1 would be 1x256^3 + 1x256^2 + 1x256 + 1 = 16,843,009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_number Jun 20 05, 8:22 AM

bloomsby

Many thanks. Allocation by ISP (rather than, say, a serial number stamped physically on the processor) sounds very sensible. A couple of years ago I had to replace the processor on my previous PC and, as far as I remember, my IP number remained the same. Jun 20 05, 1:37 PM