The Internet Is Now Officially Too Big as IP Addresses Run Out

The Internet as we know it is now officially too big for its britches.

The organization that assigns IP addresses in North America — the numbers that identify every computer, smartphone and device connected to the Internet — ran out of numbers overnight Wednesday. It's not the end of the world, because there's a newer, more robust system rolling out, but it's a milestone in our shared online history, nonetheless.

IP addresses are the four-number strings like 74.125.224.72 that you'll sometimes see in your browser's address bar, in the guts of your smartphone's system settings, or that you might be asked to type in to your cable modem or WiFi router. That address, 74.125.224.72, is one of many that should take you to Google.com.

It's like the highway system. If you're driving through New York, you might take Interstate 95 or I-190 or I-287. But in plain English, it's all the New York State Thruway. 

Full article available here: Too Big!

Source: NBC News