# IP: Logged **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 11, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355 "2000-04-11T18:17:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/1 "2000-04-12T05:17:00Z")
What’s that? I hadn’t noticed those before. What are they used for? Just curious. * * * “It says, I choo-choo-choose you. And it’s got a picture of a train.” – Ralph Wiggum ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/2 "2000-04-12T05:23:00Z")
I’m guessing it’s some sort of new feature to let the admins and mods track posts better. It seems to be only on posts that were added to after about noon, SDMB time. I’d love to know from officialdom what it is. Bill * * * You don’t have a thing to worry about. I’ll have the jury eating out of my hand. Meanwhile, try to escape. _Sig by Wally M7, master signature architect to the SDMB_ ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/3 "2000-04-12T05:36:00Z")
Also, I expect it would be helpful for sock puppet hunting. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/4 "2000-04-12T05:40:00Z")
I agree with Phouka. It seems like it could be used to determine if the person was previously banned by comparing their ‘banned’ IP to the suspected ‘sock puppet’ handles IP. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/5 "2000-04-12T05:50:00Z")
Excellent. I was hoping it was something like that-- certainly makes a lot of sense. Could this be the end of the Mr. Socko &co. reign of terror? Woo hoo! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/6 "2000-04-12T05:54:00Z")
Does it make anyone else a bit nervous? It seems a bit like having the words “and we know where he lives” appended to all of my posts. ---
**Author:** ![Chrome\_Toaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Chrome\_Toaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chrome_Toaster)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/7 "2000-04-12T05:57:00Z")
Um, I hate to reveal my total ignorangce, but what, exactly, is IP, and what does it mean to me? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/8 "2000-04-11T18:17:00Z")
IP, technically means, Internet Provider. What that little link does is provide the mods/admins, or anyone with the proper password, to view your IP address. Your IP Address is unique to your computer and is assigned by your Internet Provider. This allows the proper authorities to begin to locate the exact machine an offensive post comes from. I think it’s a good idea. If you were to wander over to the MB at Snopes, you’d see something a little bit different; those guys put your IP Address right with every post, out there for the whole world to see. In my opinion, **that** is a poor practice and is the sole reason I quit posting over there. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/9 "2000-04-11T18:20:00Z")
This marks the end of any desire I ever had of creating a sock puppet for myself when I’m in a losing position in Great Debates. Darn this technology! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/10 "2000-04-11T18:25:00Z")
> [@](#): > > It seems a bit like having the words “and we know where he lives” appended to all of my posts. Well, the admins could always find out your IP, IIRC. Currently, _I_ can’t even access the IP number; I think it’s reserved for admins. And yes, it’s for troll tracking. Snopes’ message board _does_ display the IP of everybody, which I don’t like since everybody can then track where others are posting from in a general way. I **don’t** want our trolls to have access to our poster’s IP numbers. Chrome, the IP number shows which server you’re coming from, so in a general sort of way it shows your ISP (internet service provider). Trolls can have tons of email addresses through hotmail, but they’re not likely to get a new ISP just to troll. It’s not a knell of death to have the same ISP as a troll, since there are people who have the same ISP, but it’s an extra tip if we suspect someone of being a sockpuppet or boomerang troll. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/11 "2000-04-11T18:32:00Z")
I know this isn’t GQ, but for anyone who wants to know, IP stands for _internet protocol_. Every computer hooked up to the internet has one, whether it is a _static IP_ or a _dynamic IP_. The _static IP_ is a fixed IP #. This means that everytime you log on to the internet, you have the exact same #. Most people who use an ISP have _dynamic IP_ numbers. These numbers vary and are assigned by your ISP from a pool of numbers everytime you log on. But that is not to say that they cannot be tracked down to your computer. I hope I got most of this info right… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/12 "2000-04-11T18:39:00Z")
I think you’re right, Squee. The IP for dynamic addresses changes, although I think it’s only the last few digits. So we’ll have a good idea that it’s the same guy, but it’s not like a static addy, where we’d know for sure who the troll is (unless, of course, a house-sitter is using your computer to troll, and poor innocent you gets banned. :rolleyes: ). ---
**Author:** ![Chrome\_Toaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Chrome\_Toaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chrome_Toaster)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/13 "2000-04-11T18:41:00Z")
Thanks for the clarification. Before I checked in here, I was looking up patent information, and in that context, IP was “intellectual property”; that didn’t quite sound right. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/14 "2000-04-11T18:53:00Z")
IP does in fact stand for “Internet Protocol.” An IP address is in the form w.x.y.z, where w-z are integers from 0 to 255. IP addresses, together with a “subnet mask” identify both a particular machine (a “host”) and the network it’s on, by use of an arcane and mysterious formula. For example, if my IP address is 207.172.13.18, and I am using standard subnet masking, that means I’m host 18 on network 207.172.13.18. But don’t think you’ve cracked the code! If your address is 44.183.16.5, that means you’re host 183.16.5 on network 44.0.0.0. Every Internet Service Provider has a block of IP addresses, all belonging to the same network(s), which their dial-up clients use. Most ISPs use DHCP, Dynamic Host Control Protocol, to assign a different number to you each time you call in. So one day, I might be 207.172.13.12, and another day I might be 207.172.13.187. In both cases, someone could determine that the network number belonged to a particular ISP, even if the host number was different from day to day. Persons going through firewalls may appear to be using the IP address of their firewall, not their actual IP address. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/15 "2000-04-11T22:42:00Z")
Is there a simple way to find out what my IP# is? ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/16 "2000-04-11T23:01:00Z")
**Fogmage** , If you are using Windows 9x, find the file called **Winipcfg.exe** and click on it. This will show you your IP configuration. It should be in your Windows folder on your C: drive. ---
**Author:** ![EnigmaOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EnigmaOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnigmaOne)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/17 "2000-04-12T08:00:00Z")
{{{So one day, I might be 207.172.13.12, and another day I might be 207.172.13.187. In both cases, someone could determine that the network number belonged to a particular ISP, even if the host number was different from day to day.}}}—Bricker Depending on the particular Sub-Netting or Super-Netting scheme an ISP uses, it’s possible to narrow down the exact phone number used to for dail-up access. After that, it’s a matter of consulting the log files to determine which username was issued the lease for the Dynamic IP address in question, at a specific date and time. Log file persistence can be problematic if the files are regularly purged on a short turn around. On this AOL node I’m getting a subnet mask of 255.240.0.0, which is a healthy-sized chunk of addresses…around 1048573 or so…Now I’ll have to dial into another node to see what comes up… Now see what y’all got started? 😉 * * * [TheHungerSite.com](http://www.thehungersite.com) _“If our lives are indeed the sum-total of the choices we’ve made, then we cannot change who we are; but with every new choice we’re given, we can change who we’re going to be.”_ ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2000, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-logged/1355/18 "2000-04-13T07:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > by use of an arcane and mysterious formula. For example, if my IP address is 207.172.13.18, and I am using standard subnet masking, that means I’m host 18 on network 207.172.13.18. That’s because you’re on a class C network, which can only have 254 hosts. Class C networks are the most common kind of network, so you need the first three octets of the address to pinpoint that network. > [@](#): > > But don’t think you’ve cracked the code! If your address is 44.183.16.5, that means you’re host 183.16.5 on network 44.0.0.0. In this case you’re on a class A network, a huge net that can have over 16 million hosts. Of course with all those hosts, you need the last 3 octets to identify the one you’re looking for. Only the first octet is needed to identify the network since there are so few networks of this size.