I think it is pretty much like how a proxy server works. A thousand users may access the web through a proxy server. In this case, the proxy server and its IP address is (to the web site) the originator of the web request. The proxy server knows who 'really' initiated a request but no one else does. When the request comes back, the proxy server can identify who it for. I think there is some sort of id field, besides the IP address, in an HTTP request, like a session id or something. Consider, how does your system know which session to send a request when you have multiple browsers open? (And only 1 IP address?).

Whatever mechanism manages the handling of requests between multiple browser sessions on the same machine, does its work on the proxy server.

My internal network uses the internal addresses of 10.2.1.1 and 10.2.1.2 for my two pc's. The machine with the modem has the external address that is the ONLY IP address seen by requests to the outside world. (I think, maybe the modem substitutes its ip address, but it probably just routes the request).

I think my HTTPS wasn't working because I hadn't configured it properly. Right now at work I am working behind a proxy server and firewall. All of my HTTP requests are directed to the proxy server and it forwards them on the real recipient. And in return, it knows which return results are meant for me.


>
>That's pretty cool. I'm still fogy on how it works internally though- when ou hit a web site, what IP does the server see as the requestor? I imagine that there is some smoke and mirrors going on, and that's why HTTPS dowsn't work- you have to get a key that works with only the IP of the machine that sent the initial request-