SEARCH
Knowledgebase: NotifyLink Device Apps
Domain Name verses IP address. What's the difference?
Posted by - NA - on 22 May 2009 03:22 PM

What's the difference?
An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks route messages based on the IP address of the destination.  The format of an IP address is four numbers separated by periods.  Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.140.10.230 could be an IP address.

A domain name is a name that identifies one or more IP addresses.  For example, the domain name notifycorp.com represents several IP addresses.  Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular Web pages. For example, in the URL http://www.notifycorp.com/index.htm, the domain name is notifycorp.com.


How is this important to users of Notify Technology products?
There are several situations where server identification information is needed.  Notify's software will allow the entry of either an IP address or a domain name.   
1.) IP addresses can change easily.  For example, an administrator may need to bring a standby server up quickly to replace a server that is not functioning properly.  That new server will have its own unique identifier, which may be either an IP address or a domain name. 

2.) An IP address range may change due to data center or ISP change requirements. 

There are some instances where the use of a domain name is recommended.
3.) A domain name allows the server to use an SSL certificate, which is responsible for the encryption of data-in-motion between server and device.  IP addresses are permitted, but will not support SSL encryption.
Users of NotifySync, for example should use domain names while registering their device for use with the product. This is important since SSL is the only protocol used for data-in-motion encryption.
Depending on the device type, users of NotifyLink may also be asked to provide a domain name - iPhone users at registration and BlackBerry/Palm/Symbian S60,3/Windows Mobile users at the Account Settings option.  Here again, the domain name allows the SSL protocol, adding a possible second layer of data-in-motion security.