The Internet protocol TCP/IP implies a unique IP address depicted in the dot-decimal form (such as 193.45.12.4) for every computer or server in the network. In the Internet, special domain name system (DNS) servers translate computer names into their IP addresses. Both Windows and Linux operating systems have simple commands for accessing the DNS service that allow you to find an IP address of any server worldwide.
In Windows XP/Vista/7
Step 1
Log on to a user account in Windows and go to the Start menu.
Step 2
Type “CMD” and press “Enter” to open the command prompt window in Windows Vista/7. Click “Run” and type “CMD” followed by pressing “Enter” in Windows XP.
Step 3
Type “nslookup” and press “Enter.” For instance, type “nslookup www.yahoo.com.”
Step 4
Read the command output. A line will contain the server’s name. In our example, the line contains “Name: www.yahoo.com.” The next line that begins with the word “Address” will include the the server’s IP address.
In Linux
Step 1
Click the GNOME menu “Applications” and “Accessories.” Then choose “Terminal” to open a command prompt window (terminal) in Linux.
Step 2
Type “host” and press “Enter.” For example, type “host www.amazon.com.”
Step 3
Read the server’s IP address in the command output. For instance, www.example.com has the IP address 144.5.210.250.
