Re: OT: IP address

[flash flash@xxxxxxxx]

≪I think the IP I got from ping was probably my own "domestic" one on
my home LAN (2 PCs, and sometimes the laptop). No doubt I'd get
something different if I were online.≫

Strictly speaking, you don't 'get' an IP address from ping. That is,
ping does not assign IP addresses. What ping does is determine whether
the interface bearing the address is reachable. How the interface 'got'
the address is another matter.

There are IP addresses reserved for private use; they are non-routable
in the Internet. They are: 10.0.0.0 (you fill in the zeros), 172.16.0.0
to 172.31.0.0, and 192.168.0.0. Many people use the 192.168.0.0 range
for home use. When you go beyond your private LAN, e.g., online, your OS
replaces the private IP address by an address leased from the service
provider, if you use a dial-up line (modem or ISDN). If you use a DSL
router, then the DSL router replaces your private address with its
leased address. In this case, your DSL router has two addresses, one on
the WAN side and another on the LAN side. Your firewall, if you have
one, filters things passing between those two interfaces/addresses.