Patrick Shanahan wrote:
* Paul W. Abrahams <abrahams@acm.org> [01-31-04 11:37]:
I should have asked explicitly: given my MAC address, how do I determine the associated hostname? Can I ping it? Is there still a fixed associated hostname on Comcast? A Google search yielded posts that suggests Comcast might be changing their practices on that.
IIANM, your MAC address is only good for internal/local networks and for comcast to identify your account. You are _not_ identified on the net by your mac address. Your host/domain address resolves to a dotted quad ###.###.###.### and this is used to identify you on the net/web. The word names are a handy way of remembering place-names instead of learning/remembering a string of disassociated numbers.
If you do not have a static address, your address changes periodically, although it may not appear to. My address 24.208.208.146 has been the same for nearly two years, and I would prefer that it never changes.
Unlike what appears to be happening on ADSL, cable modem users tend to have long term dhcp leases.