Geek lite question

[NexR]

I need clarification on dynamic IP addresses and what they get attached to.

Is it true to say that any given ISP these days most likely assigns basic customers a dynamic IP address for each session they access the internet on their computer.

With a few exceptions, yes, it is safe to say that.  My current cable ISP (RCN) has given me a static one, and is the first ISP I've ever had do that, and I assume it has to do with the way they set up my particular building's network.  I do consider it subject to change at any time and do not depend on it.

If you have 2 computers on the internet in your house at the same time, will they have separate addresses, or is a single one assigned at the diverging point at the router -- or is that the result of a firewall?

You get one internet IP assigned to your router, as that's what's dialing in and connecting to your ISP's server.  The rest of the world sees both of your computers as this IP. 

On your side of the router, however, the router is (most likely) seen by your computers as 198.169.1.1, and the router then (again, most likely) dynamically assigns each of your computers a sub address of that such as 198.169.1.2, 198.169.1.3, etc. as your computers are turned on and connect to the router.  This is called your Local Area Network (LAN) and you can connect thousands of computers to it and still have only one IP for the internet or Wide Area Network (WAN).  (In this way, despite the limited number of internet IP addresses available, the world can connect millions more computers to it.)  You can also change your LAN IP numbers around a bit if you like, and you can make your LAN IPs static for each computer.

-- or is that the result of a firewall?

Nope, firewalls have nothing to do with Internet Protocol.  IP has to do with establishing connections between machines, firewalls deal with handling the data transferred between those machines after those connections have been made.


Does that help?

[the other andrea]

Thank you, Nex, I think I understand now. 

So basically if an admin can see your (dynamic) IP address, and two people in the same house are playing the same online game or in the same chat room, they would see it as identical.

[NexR]

An outside admin, yep.  Anyone on the internet and anyone at your ISP will see only one IP.  Anyone on your home network will see different IPs.

I take it you're in trouble for something someone else did from your wireless connection?

[the other andrea]

Not exactly...

[stormneedle]

"Somebody spoofed that IP address, and you can't trace it because of DNS cache poisoning."

It should make them go away for a couple of minutes while they try and figure it how you knew to join those particular words together.

[the other andrea]

Naw, actually what it is is that someone is insisting that one person is running two accounts at the same time on one computer.

It has never occurred to them that two people in the same household would be playing the same game at the same time. 

[stormneedle]

Tell them to set random values into their cookies so they can differentiate properly. And that I'd set it up for them at $120/hour, but I am precluded from doing computer work for non-governmental sites.

[random axe]

It has never occurred to them that two people in the same household would be playing the same game at the same time.

Wow.  That's like a new pathetic benchmark for being a virgin.

[Talix]

I use Firefox at work (cardinal sin) and employ tabbed browsing. On occasion when I click a tab to bring that page to the front, it appears for a micro-second and then closes. Lately it’s happening more often. Any ideas?

[NexR]

Try this:

Create a new profile using the Profile Manager.  If it still happens with a new profile that doesn't have all your extensions, then either you need to reinstall Firefox again, or it's something outside of FF.  But that sounds to me like a FF thing and probably related to an extension.  So you could add them back in one at a time and see if it starts again.

[NexR]

Oh, forgot to mention: if you have Adblock or something similar it might be killing those tabs because the site you're going to is blocked.  So you might want to look to see if one of your extensions is closing those tabs.  (But Adblock usually just blocks the page and turns it white, not closes the tab, IIRC.)

[random axe]

If I plug a surge protector into a surge protector, is that some kind of double-insurance against lightning?

I almost feel like I know the answer, but I don't want to rely on my own logic.  The problem is that I've had machines damaged by lightning before, and I have no $$$.  Consequently, I can't risk plugging my machines in when there's a thunderstorm, and their batteries are old and good for about sixty minutes, tops.  Similarly, I already have more surge protector strips than machines, so I could daisy chain them . . . .

[Lindsey Buckinghmof]

Yo dawg, I heard you liked surge protection so I put a surge protector on your surge protector so you can be protected from surges while being protected from surges.

[stormneedle]

We're not supposed to daisy chain extension cords at work, but I think that's because there is an inherent weakness at the joins.

I wonder if it matters if you're using them in parallel or serial?

[random axe]

Daisy-chaining extension cords is usually prohibited by fire codes, but I always forget exactly why.  It has something to do with the wire gauge and resistance.  Longer extension cords are usually made with thicker wires partly to reduce voltage drop, and you don't get that benefit if you string short cords together, but I forget how it gets to be a fire hazard.  I can see why you wouldn't want to do it much with expensive tools or electronics, though.

A two-surge-protector chain seems pretty short to me, though.  Of course, I still have to replace a lot of the outlets and lines in my house anyway, since they're not actually grounded.  Even some of the ones that were added or replaced in the last ten years are wrong.  So often the way.  I'm not great at all at electrical work, either, which is a large part of why I haven't already done it . . . .