if none of my applications implements this
Your application doesn't implement this method. The container does. Your
servlet is passed a request object when the container invokes it. That request object has a method called getRemoteAddr().
is there a way for me to tell by checking the web or system logs
Yes, the web server or app server may be writing a log with the client IP. That depends on how your environment is configured. If you are simply debugging your app, looking in the log is ok. If your app needs the information, scanning a log isn't an elegant solution. Use getRemoteAddr().
[ December 18, 2006: Message edited by: Scott Johnson ]