How does Interference work?

[martha]

Oh sure, I can throw around words like "server" and "cookies" and "pong," but how does it work? How does the server know that it's me and not, say, melon?

Please pretend that I have recently arrived from a primitive planet that only just figured out how to use a rock to crack open a peanut shell.


Thank you.

 

[Sicy]

What are you asking exactly. When you go to sign in? Or how it knows its you in general? IP addresses play a factor in determining who is who.

 

[martha]

How does the server hold all the information about all 4 billion members individually? How does it transmit the information about me to me and only me? How come when I mark forums read at school, they're still marked read when I'm at home?


And, what exactly is an IP address?

 

[Sicy]

* goes to find Elvis *

 

[U2Lynne]

If you look at the bottom of this page, you will see it gives credit to 'vBulletin'. Do a search on that (or go right here ), and you find it is a forum package that uses PHP and MySQL. PHP is a scripting language and SQL is a database package. I'm sure all of us have a unique id number (or just our unique usernames) and all sorts of information is stored about us. Everytime an entry is made, our unique id/name is put with it so you can search out every post a person makes. Everytime you mark all forums read, an entry is made about you. Everytime you visit, an entry is made, etc. Databases are very powerful website tools when set-up and used correctly.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Re: * goes to find Elvis *

that's what i was gonna say

 

[daisybean]

An IP Address is what identifies your computer on the web. It's usually done by ISP and geographic location. Mine is really creepy, it's got like 3 sixes in it anyway, it's like a fingerprint. One use is to track the trolls, if someone comes in and starts causing trouble, the admins can track the ip address of the poster. They can use that info to ban that person or in severe cases contact the ISP.

 

[Sicy]

I know all about ips but.. that other stuff makes me go

 

[martha]

Ok; it's going good so far. Thanks, Lynne, for the link and info. That helped.
Also, the ip info helped, gals.


Keep it coming!

 

[melon]

How does the server know that it's me and not, say, melon?

LOL...how funny.

The question you ask is expansive, so any answer I can give is insufficient at best, but it might help.

First off, it is "ping" and not "pong."

Secondly, what differentiates me from you is our usernames and passwords. IP addresses certainly do contribute to us being unique, but all it takes is for someone to migrate to a different computer or ISP and there goes your original IP address. TCP/IP is merely a protocol for computers to communicate with each other, although, like the SSN, it is starting to take on an unintended identification measure. IPv6, which has been in development for years, but may never really be released, is intended to be an identifiable protocol.

Third, like others have said already, a bulletin board like this is, essentially, a large dynamic database, which allows us to continually "change" this site.

Any other questions?

Melon

 

[martha]

Ok, the ip thing I think I have, and the username and password thing is good. But after that, it falls apart. How does the database know what to retrieve when I enter said username and password? And it knows even if I'm at one ip at 2:00 and a different one at 4:00 (assumimg I ever leave work).


And how does it do all this? In the physical way.

 

[U2Lynne]

Ok, the ip thing I think I have, and the username and password thing is good. But after that, it falls apart. How does the database know what to retrieve when I enter said username and password? And it knows even if I'm at one ip at 2:00 and a different one at 4:00 (assumimg I ever leave work).


And how does it do all this? In the physical way.

Forget about the IP address, just think about your username/password. You log on to this site from a computer. It sets a 'cookie'. This cookie is information which the site reads that says what your username is. When you go to another computer and log in, it sets a 'cookie' also. Which means, if you leave that computer without logging out (ie. all you do is close your browser windows), someone else could get on and be logged on as you! If you do log out, then it erases the cookie, so the next time you come here, it doesn't know who you are and you need to log on. These cookies are how it knows you are you at work at 2:00 and then you at home at 4:00.

That is my basic understanding, but if someone wants to correct me, go for it!

 

[martha]

These cookies are how it knows you are you at work at 2:00 and then you at home at 4:00.

Big step!!

Ok, now: servers, wizards, and other assorted mysteries (including cookie storage).


I'll wait.

 

[Salome]

all I know is that I like cookies

 

[U2Lynne]

Ok, now: servers,

Hmmmm, the big computer that serves up the forum pages to your computer. It usually has all the web pages and the database and anything else it needs in order to 'create' your page.

wizards, and other assorted mysteries (including cookie storage).


I'll wait.

Wizards? I have no idea.

As for cookie storage... look to your own computer! Mine are in: C:\WINNT\Profiles\xxxx\Temporary Internet Files and it's called Cookie:lynne@interference.com/ If you have details shown in that folder, you can see the expiration date of your cookie (probably about a year from now). The person who writes the cookie (in this case, interference) can choose the cookie name, the time is lasts, whether is can only be transmitted over secure connections, what URL it is good for and probably some other stuff.

Geeky Lynne

 

[DebbieSG]

Oh sure, I can throw around words like "server" and "cookies" and "pong," but how does it work? How does the server know that it's me and not, say, melon?

Please pretend that I have recently arrived from a primitive planet that only just figured out how to use a rock to crack open a peanut shell.


Thank you.

i have a tool for you, martha, it's called a "nutcracker" LOL! (i know, YOU are not from a primitive planet, just some of those twenty-somethings)

server (it serves cookies)

cookies (they get eaten by grown puppets)

pong (a video game such as "ping" pong?)

i think most people know it's you, and not melon, because mostly you ask questions...such as the above, clearly a attempt to gain knowledge and soar, high above the crowd of peanuts, cherries and lettuce leaves...ok, computer! --Radiohead