Explaining and Supporting IPv4 and IPv6
Networks
•Pengelly, J. 2021. The Official CompTIA Network+ Student
Guide (Exam N10-008) 1st ed. Illinois: CompTIA. Page 97-124
ISBN: 9781642743586
•In this lesson, you will learn about:
• Explain IPv4 addressing schemes.
• Explain IPv4 forwarding.
• Configure IP networks and subnets.
•IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) is the fourth version of the
Internet Protocol.
•Is one of the core protocols of standards-based internetworking
methods on the Internet and other packet-switched networks.
•IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses.
•The IP addressing process happens at layer 3 of the OSI.
1. IP Address:
Definition: A unique identifier assigned to each device on a network.
Format: 32-bit numeric address written in dotted decimal (e.g. [Link]).
Purpose: Identifies both the network and the host (device) within that network.
2. Subnet Mask:
Definition: A number that separates the network from the host portion of an IP address.
Format: Same as an IP address (e.g. [Link]).
Purpose: Helps determine which part of the IP address refers to the network and which
part refers to the host.
3. Default Gateway:
Definition: A router address that serves as an access point or IP router that a device
uses to send data to other networks or the internet.
Typical Use: A home router might use [Link] as the default gateway for all local
devices.
Purpose: Used when the destination IP address is outside the local subnet.
•IPv4 forwarding is the process by which a router receives an IP
packet and decides where to send it next, so it can reach its
destination.
•It is a key function in how data travels across the internet or any
IP-based network.
•Each IPv4 packet has a TTL value that decreases by 1 at each
hop.
•If TTL reaches 0, the packet is dropped to avoid infinite loops.
How it works (step by step):
1. Packet Received - packet arrives on one of the router’s interfaces.
2. Check Destination IP - The router reads the destination IP from the
IPv4 header.
3. Checking routing table - The router searches its routing table to find
the best route.
4. Choose the Hop - The table provides either a next-hop IP address or an
interface to send the packet directly to the destination.
5. Forward the packet - The packet is forwarded out the appropriate
interface.
• Addressing used to direct messages from source to destination.
• Addresses exist at different layers.
• IPv4 addresses are 32 bits
• Most common way to write is using dot-decimal notation
oEasier for people to read and remember.
oBreaks the address into four bytes and writes each byte in decima
notation instead of binary.
oExample: [Link]
• A portion of an IP address represents the network, and the rest identifies
the host
• Classful addressing
- Uses the first bits to determine number of hosts
• Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)
- Uses subnet masks to more flexibly divide address space into subnets.
* IP address: [Link]
* Subnet Mask: [Link]
• Configuring each device manually is time consuming.
• Assigning addresses permanently can be inefficient when devices are
not connected to network
• A server can supply IP addresses automatically
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
- Most common protocol for dynamic addressing.
- Device sends out broadcast message.
- DHCP responds with IP settings.
- Addresses are “leased” for a length of time.
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• Configuring each device manually is time consuming.
• Assigning addresses permanently can be inefficient when devices are
not connected to network
• A server can supply IP addresses automatically
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
- Most common protocol for dynamic addressing.
- Device sends out broadcast message.
- DHCP responds with IP settings.
- Addresses are “leased” for a length of time.
•The 32-bit IP address is broken up into 4 octets,
which are arranged into a dotted-decimal
notation scheme.
•An octet is a set of 8 bits & not a musical
instrument.
•Example of an IP version 4:
[Link]
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•The binary system uses only 2 values “0 & 1”
to represent numbers in positions
representing increasing powers of 2.
•We all are accustomed to thinking & working
in the decimal system, which is based on the
number 10.
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•You will need to convert binary to decimal &
vice versa to compute subnets & hosts.
•So, it is time for a quick review lesson in binary-
to-decimal conversion.
•There are 8 bits in an octet & each bit can only
be a 1 or a 0.
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27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
The binary number 1111 1111 converts into the decimal number:
128 + 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 255
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Network & Host Representation
By IP Address Class
Class Octet1 Octet2 Octet3 Octet4
Class A Network Host Host Host
Class B Network Network Host Host
Class C Network Network Network Host
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28
29
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• Subnetting is the foundation underlying the expansion of both Local
Networks & the Internet in today’s world.
• There are 2 reasons why subnetting is important in today’s
networking environment:
1. The world is running out of available IP addresses. There is a
limited number of IP addresses available & subnetting helps
extend the existing addresses until either the next version of IP
is rolled out or some other technology charges on the scene.
2. Subnetting reduces the size of the routing tables stored in
routers. Subnetting extends the existing IP address base &
restructures the IP address. As a result, routers must have a
way to extract from an IP address both the Network address &
the Host address.
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•Subnetting, a subnet & a subnet mask are all different.
•In fact, the 1st creates the 2nd & is identified by the 3rd.
•Subnetting is the process of dividing a network & its IP
addresses into segments, each of which is called a
subnetwork or subnet.
•The subnet mask is the 32-bit number that the router
uses to cover up the network address to show which
bits are being used to identify the subnet.
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• The 2 primary benefits of subnetting are:
1. Fewer IP addresses, often as few as one, are needed to
provide addressing to a network & subnets.
2. Subnetting usually results in smaller routing tables in
routers beyond the local internetwork.
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When the network administrator divides the [Link] network into
5 smaller networks
– [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link] & [Link]
– the outside world stills sees the network as [Link], but the
internal routers now break the network addressing into the 5 smaller
subnetworks.
• Block size = 256 - last octet of subnet mask
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Consider the subnet address: [Link]/28.
Calculate the following:
1. The subnet mask.
2. Subnet address.
3. The first and last host.
4. The broadcast address.
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Eduvos is about to open a new faculty with four new departments A, B,
C and D. The IPv4 address prefix of the new faculty is [Link]/24
and it is expecting each department to have the following number of
hosts:
• Department A: between 40 and 60 hosts.
• Department B: between 100 and 120 hosts.
• Department C: between 20 and 30 hosts.
• Department D: between 4 and 16 hosts.
Eduvos wishes to allocate a subnet for each department. Give
possible IPv4 subnet masks and network ID for each new
department.
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•TCP/IP command line utilities enable you to gather
information about how your systems are configured and
how they communicate over an IP network.
•When used for troubleshooting, these utilities can
provide information about communication issues and
their causes.
• Troubleshooting IP Networks is the process of identifying, diagnosing,
and resolving problems related to IP-based networks.
• While some support scenarios require a top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top
approach, in practical terms a lot of troubleshooting activity starts with
the network layer.
• Connectivity tests and configuration information can identify issues
within this layer or inform your decision of whether to move up or down
layers to pinpoint the cause of a problem.
• IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the successor to IPv4, designed to
solve the limitations of IPv4 addresses.
• IPv6 structure:
- An IPv6 address is 128 bits long and written in hexadecimal.
- It is divided into 8 groups of 4 hex digits (16 bits each), separated by
colons.
- Example; [Link].
1. Unicast
- Identifies a single interface.
2. Multicast
- One-to-many communication.
3. Anycast
- One to nearest.
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Feature IPv4 IPv6
Address Length 32 bits 128 bits
Address Format Decimal ([Link]) Hexadecimal ([Link])
Broadcast Support Yes No (uses Multicast instead)
NAT Required Yes No (with proper configuration)
Autoconfiguration Limited (DHCP only) Yes (SLAAC)
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