Network ip Address
An IP
address is the unique numerical address of a device in a computer network that
uses Internet Protocol for communication.
IP
address consists of four numbers; each can contain one to three digits. These
numbers are separated with a single dot (.). These four numbers can range from
0 to 255.
Types of IP addresses
The IP
addresses can be classified into two. These are.
1)
Static IP addresses
2)
Dynamic IP addresses
Let us
see each type in detail.
Static IP Addresses
the
static IP addresses usually never change but they may be changed as a result of
network administration. They serve as a permanent Internet address and provide
a simple and reliable way for the communication.
Dynamic IP Addresses
Dynamic
IP address are temporary IP addresses. These IP addresses are assigned to a
computer when they get connected to the Internet each time.
Static
IP addresses are considered as less secure than dynamic IP addresses because
they are easier to track.
What is IPv4?
IPv4
was the first version of IP. It was deployed for production in the ARPANET in
1983. It is used to identify devices on a network using an addressing system.
The
IPv4 uses a 32-bit address scheme allowing to store 2^32 addresses which is
more than 4 billion addresses.
What is IPv6?
It is
the most recent version of the Internet Protocol. Internet Engineer Taskforce
initiated it in early 1994. This new IP address version is being deployed to
fulfill the need for more Internet addresses. It was aimed to resolve issues
which are associated with IPv4. With 128-bit address space, it allows 340
undecillion unique address space.
classes of IPv4 addresses
The
different classes of the IPv4 address are the following:
1)
Class A address
2)
Class B address
3)
Class C address
4)
Class D address
5)
Class E address
Class A Address
The
first bit of the first octet is always set to zero. So that the first octet
ranges from 1 127. The default subnet mask for class A IP address is
255.0.0.0.
Class A
IP address format is like thus: 0NNNNNNN.HHHHHHHH.HHHHHHHH.HHHHHHHH.
Class B Address
Here
the first two bits in the first two bits is set to zero. Class B IP Addresses
range from 128.0.x.x to 191.255.x.x. The default subnet mask for Class B is
255.255.x.x.
Class B
IP address format is: 10NNNNNN.NNNNNNNN.HHHHHHHH.HHHHHHHH
Class C Address
The
first octet of this class has its first 3 bits set to 110. Class C IP addresses
range from 192.0.0.x to 223.255.255.x. The default subnet mask for Class C is
255.255.255.x.
Class C
IP address format is: 110NNNNN.NNNNNNNN.NNNNNNNN.HHHHHHHH
Class D Address
The
first four bits of the first octet in class D IP address are set to 1110. Class
D has IP address rage from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. Class D is reserved
for Multicasting. In multicasting data is not intended for a particular host,
but multiple ones. The Class D does not have any subnet mask.
Class E Address
The
class E IP addresses are reserved for experimental. IP addresses in the class E
ranges from 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.254.