IP Addressing

IP addressing is compulsory for the devices to communicate over the internet. Internet protocol (IP) provides a unique address that identifies the local network. Every internet-connected device has a unique IP address.  The Internet-assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) assigns IP addresses to computer networks to ensure no two networks share the same IP network address.

Keeping in mind: MAC, the address provides the physical address for the network interface card. It does not provide information about the location of its network.

Versions of IP Addressing

IP addresses are categorized into two versions: IPv4 and IPv6.  

IPv4 is the current TCP/IP addressing technique being used on the internet. IPv4 is quickly running out due to the rapid growth of the internet. However, both IPv4 and IPv6 are supported by manufacturers of networking devices and Operating systems.

IPv4 Addressing

 IPv4 addressing is the current TCP/IP technique being used on the internet.  IPv4 is considered a 32-bit number. IPv4 is divided into 4 binary octets.  AS computers understand the binary code, an Example of IP in binary is given below

11011000.00011011.00111101.10001001

This representation of IP in decimal is given below

216.27.61.137

Each octet can represent any value from 0 to 255 (2⁸=256). A combination of four octets gives 2³² (4,294, 967, 296) unique values.

Some certain values are restricted from use as typical IP addresses. For example, the IP address 0.0.0.0 is reserved for the default network, and the address 255.255.255.255 is used for broadcasts.

NET ID and HOST ID in IPV4

The NET ID and HOST ID are used to find the exact device over any network. Some of the octets’ IP addresses represent the Net ID, and the remaining octets represent the Host ID.

NET ID: Net ID always contains the same first octets. It is used to identify the network in which a computer exists.

Host ID: The host section always contains the least significant octet. It identifies the actual computer in the network.

IPv6 Addressing

The IPv4 is running out, as is the growth of the internet. IPv6 comes into the picture; it uses 128-bit address techniques as compared to 32-bit IPv4.

IPv6 provides (2¹²⁸) unique IP addresses.  It is doted in hexadecimal instead of decimal,  as given below.

6789.ABCD.1234.EF92. 6789.ABCD.1234.EF92

IPv6 may be unicast, multicast, or any cast.

Types Of IP Address

There are two types of IP address

1. Static IP Address

After assigning a static IP address to the host, it always remains the same. They are configured manually.

Note: Some internet service providers (ISPs) do not provide static IP addresses. Static IPs are more costly than dynamic IP Addresses.

2. Dynamic IP Address

• Dynamic IP Address is a temporarily assigned IP Address to any host of a network. It can be assigned to a different device if it is available (not in use of any Host).
• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) or PPPoE (point-to-point connection over Ethernet) assigns dynamic IP addresses.

Classes of IP Address 

IP addressing is classified into two systems, which are

We will learn about classful IP addressing and classless IP addressing in the upcoming lecture.