Quote:
Originally Posted by mcclary's electrical
I really don't know much about it. How does it change?
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Interesting stuff. Taken from here:
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/tcpiptutorials/f/change-address.htm
The IP addresses you use for Internet access are controlled by
Internet Service Providers (ISPs). It is not easy to change these, especially if you want to do it quickly.
Some Internet services assign you
static IP addresses. To change a static IP address, you will need to contact the ISP and work with their technical support to have them assign a new one.
Most Internet services, however, use dynamic IP addresses via
DHCP. The policies of ISPs dictate how to change these. If your computer is directly connected to the Internet, you can attempt to release and renew the address using
ipconfig or a similar utility. Consult your ISP technical support for details. Often, you will need to disconnect your modem from the Internet for a long period of time (many hours or a few days) before the ISP will assign a different dynamic IP address.
Changing Private IP Addresses
It is easier to change private IP addresses, the ones used internally on your local network. If using static addressing, you can directly set a new IP address on the device. If using dynamic addresses supplied via a
network router, you have a few options:
- release and renew the DHCP address on the client
- set up the router (or other DHCP server) to use a different IP address range (and update addressing on the network's other devices accordingly)
- change one or more devices on the network from dynamic to static addressing. You can mix static and dynamic clients on the same network as long as you avoid using static IP addresses within the numeric range where the DHCP server is likely to issue its addresses.
Why Change Your IP Address?
Some people change a public IP address to avoid online bans. Web site message boards and other services sometimes block individuals by their IP address. Note that some sites block people by their user names, and changing the IP address will have no effect in this case.
Additionally, an ISP may assign you an invalid address due to some technical glitch in their equipment. This is another (more legitimate) reason to change your public IP address.
Changing a private IP address does not at all help with Internet address issues. However, changing these makes sense in a few situations:
- if you have accidentally configured an invalid address (such as a static IP address in the wrong numeric range)
- if you are using a malfunctioning router that is providing bad addresses, such as one already being used by another computer on your network
- if you are installing a new router and re-configuring your home network to use its default IP address range
The choice of IP address does not affect your network performance or network security in any meaningful way.
When connecting to the Internet, your home computer (or
network router) is assigned a public
IP address. As you visit Web sites or other Internet servers, that public IP address is transmitted and recorded in log files kept on those servers. Access logs leave behind a trail of your Internet activity. If it were possible to somehow hide your public IP address, your Internet activity would become much more difficult to trace.
Answer: Unfortunately, it is not technically possible to always hide the public IP address of a home network. An IP address enables devices to locate and communicate with each other on the Internet. Completely hiding the IP address of a device would render it invisible but also unusable online.
On the other hand, it is possible to hide public IP addreseses from most Internet servers in most situations. This method involves an Internet service called an anonymous proxy server.
Using an Anonymous Proxy Server
An anonymous proxy server ("proxy") is a special type of server that acts as an intermediary between a home network and the rest of the Internet. An anonymous proxy server makes requests for Internet information on your behalf, using its own IP address instead of yours. Your computer only accesses Web sites indirectly, through the proxy server. This way, Web sites will see the proxy's IP address, not your home IP address.
Using an anonymous proxy server requires a simple configuration of the Web browser (or other Internet client software that supports proxies). Proxies are identified by a combination of
URL and TCP
port number.
Numerous free anonymous proxy servers exist on the Internet, open for anyone to use. These servers may have bandwidth traffic limits, may suffer from reliability or speed problems, or might permanently disappear from the Internet without notice. Such servers are most useful for temporary or experimental purposes.
Anonymous proxy services that charge fees in return for better quality of service also exist. These services are designed for regular use by households.
Related Tools for Hiding Your IP Address
Several related software tools (both free and paid versions) support anonymizing proxies. The Firefox extension called "switchproxy," for example, supports defining a pool of proxy servers in the Web browser and automatically switching between them at regular time intervals. In general, these tools help you both find proxies and also simplify the process of configuring and using them.
The ability to hide an IP address increases your privacy on the Internet. Other approaches to improving Internet privacy also exist and complement each other. Managing Web browser cookies, using encryption when sending personal information, running a
firewall and other techniques all contribute toward a greater feeling of safety and security when going online.
Soon, you won't even have to worry about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv4_address_exhaustion 
IP Address
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