Client ID

[JezB]

Any way I can get at a unique "Client ID" within server code ? I'm writing
some auditing and I want to record which particular client machine initiated
a request, for example.

I imagine in an internet environment the only unique client ID is the IP
address, can I get at this?

In an intranet environment I'd prefer to get the unique client machine name,
as known to the network (and possibly network user ID name while we are
about it!).

 

[Arran Pearce]

There are 2 issues you may have to deal with when using a IP address for
a unique ID.

1 - Multiple people using the same IP address. Most LAN's use Network
Address Translation / Proxy Servers for Internet requests. This means
that you could have 1000's of users all using 1 IP address (as you see it).

2 - Dynamic Address assignment. Say you have 5000 users who are on AOL,
one user connects one day using the IP address x. The next day he
connects and has IP address y, and a totally different user has IP
address x.

Both of these are only a issue depending on the way you are using the
information. But thought it was worth a mention

 

[Eliyahu Goldin]

Try Request.UserHostAddress and Request.UserHostName.

Eliyahu

 

[JezB]

Aha - cookies are another thing our company guidelines tells us we can't use
! No client footprint.

 

[Eliyahu Goldin]

Good points. May be you should consider using cookies.

Eliyahu

 

[Eliyahu Goldin]

My sympathies.

May be the real-life experience will prompt your company to soften the
guidelines.

Eliyahu