How do I interpret 'netstat -a' output

Question

Some things look strange to me:

• What is the distinction between 0.0.0.0, 127.0.0.1, and [::]?
• How should each part of the foreign address be read (part1:p

Answer 1

127.0.0.1 is your loopback address also known as 'localhost' if set in your HOSTS file. See here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localhost

0.0.0.0 means that an app has bound to all ip addresses using a specific port. MS info here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;175952

'::' is ipv6 shorthand for ipv4 0.0.0.0.