<P> An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication . An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing . </P> <P> Version 4 of the Internet Protocol (IPv4) defines an IP address as a 32 - bit number . However, because of the growth of the Internet and the depletion of available IPv4 addresses, a new version of IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the IP address, was developed in 1995, and standardized as RFC 2460 in 1998 . IPv6 deployment has been ongoing since the mid-2000s . </P>

What is the purpose of the ip address