Getting a unique "machine id code" from a PC?

[stevea]

Hi All,

Is it possible to use PHP to get a unique identifier from a given computer?

Thx,
steve

[thorpe]

Nope. Php runs on the server, not the client. The best you could do would be an ip, and thus pretty unreliable.

[MarkR]

No, if the browser had a feature which allowed the server to read its unique ID, it would constitute a major privacy risk as sites could use it to track an individual's behaviour across multiple sites forever (notwithstanding clearing cookies etc).

Mark