BleepingComputer.com: Ip Address Help

hey guys,

im not sure where to post this question so sorry if it's in the wrong place.

im a premium user on rapidshare and lately, it's keeps telling me that a different IP address is using my account. so i emailed them and this is wht they said:

Hello,
it is not a problem to use an account at several computers or with different IP addresses but you can not download from different IP addresses at the sametime if they are not in the same subnet.

Example: 123.234.77.234
123.234.77.232
-> same IP-Subnet, simultaneously downloads possible.

123.45.67.89
123.45.60.11
-> not the same IP-Subnet, no simultaneously downloads possible.

With the link "View Logs" in the premium zone you can see how much you have downloaded on each day and from what IP-address. If there are IP-addresses listed that you do not know, please change yourpassword in the premium zone using the link "settings" and make sure that your computer and email-address are secure so nobody could access yourRapidShare-account.
Best regards,
RapidShare AG - Support Team

So I changed my password and stuff to be sure tht no one is using my account but can someone plz explain wht subnet mean? when i went to 'view logs' i got a lot of IP addresses listed, all of them with different last numbers (the last number was diff)

and then randomly, i saw a completely diff IP address...can someone plz help me figure this out??

thnx!

Subnets is kinda like a second layer of security.

Its kinda like a networks ip address. While each computer has its own unique ip address, each one of those ip addresses are under the subnet and thats kinda the network. (I hope that makes sense?) The subnet mask is like the ip address of the network not the computer.

Do you get it? =P

GA_crazy_shamz,

By SUBNET, they mean the LAN (local network, home or office) IP address.

Since, in most of the situations, a number of LAN PCs connected to a common WAN IP address provided by your ISP, and share the Internet connection.

Typical Local IP address ranges are,

10.x.x.x

172.16.x.x

and,

192.168.x.x

so which number in the IP address represents the subnet?

I think your mistaken.

The ip address and Subnet are two different ip addresses.

EG. My ip address is 192.168.1.100 (Router assigned) And my subnet is default on 255.255.0.0

ah i see...sorry, i'm quite dumb at this stuff...

another question: how do i find out my IP address? i went to run then typed cmd and then ipconfig, but tht IP address is completely diff frm the ones tht rapidshare gave me...

This will show you your public IP. If you are behind a router
your local IP will be different.

http://whatismyip.com/

Think in terms of a phone number with area code and prefix. The phone number in your area is unique to you and only you, the prefix tells the system that you are part of a small sub group, and the area code tells the system that you are part of a larger sub group. So when an area code is dialed it only looks in certain slots, the further refines the seach to the prefix and then to just your phone. It allows the system to direct the information (call) more quickly and efficiently. ZIP code works the same way.

Bottom line is: If you connect to rapidshare from one place only i.e your house, chances are the ip addresses in the log file with different last numbers will be you. If you have ever tried to connect from work, school, college, internet cafe or anywhere else that will be the completely different address, if you haven't connected from anywhere else, your account may have been compromised and so changing the password was the right thing to do.