getting the user's (internet, not local network) IP address

[Alex Tweedly]

On 17/05/2010 23:48, Bob Sneidar wrote:
> That's because you connect to the internet without a gateway/router/firewall, in which case there is no public IP. I would rectify that situation pronto. No one should connect directly to the internet these days.
>    

No, it doesn't necessarily imply that there is no router/firewall. It 
does imply there is no NAT function in the router/firewall, but it's 
perfectly possible, and in fact still fairly common, to have public IP = 
local IP. Most common in medium to large companies which got in early in 
the IP address space race, and have more than enough addresses to have 
no need for address sharing/translation; however, it's also possible for 
any home user who buys dedicated IP address(es) service from their ISP, 
say if they want to run their own servers.

And of course you can have a transparent firewall (e.g. Cisco PIX or 
ASA) either in your own network or in the service provider's regardless 
of whether or not you have NAT in the router.

-- Alex.