IP Address
NET 101
IP Address
An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to a device or domain that
connects to the Internet. Each IP address is a series of characters, such as
'[Link]'
IP Packet
An IP packet is a unit of data in a network that contains
information about the source and destination addresses and
other control information needed to transport the packet over a
network.
Structure of an IP Packet
Structure of an IP Packet
• Version: This field indicates the IP protocol version, such as IPv4 or IPv6, which
helps determine how the packet should be routed.
• Total length: Specifies the packet's total length of the data payload (the
message) and the header, which are essential for the recipient to understand
the packet's contents.
• Protocol: Determines the high-level protocol, like TCP, UDP, etc., used in the
data payload.
• Time to Live (TTL): Used to prevent packets from circulating indefinitely, which
could cause network congestion. Every time a packet gets forwarded, the
router decreases the TTL by one, and when the TTL becomes zero, the packet
gets discarded, helping to avoid congestion.
Structure of an IP Packet
• Source IP address: Specifies the IP address of the device that sent the packet.
It’s used to reply to the sender, and if a router cannot send the packet to the
following location, it sends a message to the source using the source IP
address to indicate the problem.
• Destination IP address: Identifies the IP address of the intended recipient of
the packet. Routers use it to determine where to forward the packet to reach
its final destination.
IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4)
➢ Is the most widely used system for identifying devices on a network. It
uses a set of four numbers, separated by periods (like [Link]), to give
each device a unique address. This address helps data find its way from
one device to another over the internet.
➢ IPv4 was the primary version brought into action for production within
the ARPANET in 1983. IP version four addresses are 32-bit integers
which will be expressed in decimal notation.
IPv4 Address Format
Parts of IPv4
• Network Part: The network part indicates the distinctive variety that’s
appointed to the network. The network part conjointly identifies the
category of the network that’s assigned.
• Host Part: The host part uniquely identifies the machine on your
network. This part of the IPv4 address is assigned to every host. For
each host on the network, the network part is the same, however, the
host half must vary.
• Subnet Number: This is the non obligatory part of IPv4. Local networks
that have massive numbers of hosts are divided into subnets and
subnet numbers are appointed to that.
IPv4 Class
Class A Public & Private IP Address Range
• Class A addresses are for networks with large number of total hosts. Class A allows for
126 networks by using the first octet for the network ID.
Public IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
• First octet value range from 1 to 127
Private IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
Subnet Mask: [Link] (8 bits)
Number of Networks: 126
Number of Hosts per Network: 16,777,214
IPv4 Class (cont.)
Class B Public & Private IP Address Range
• Class B addresses are for medium to large sized networks. Class B allows for 16,384 networks by
using the first two octets for the network ID.
Public IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
• First octet value range from 128 to 191
Private IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
Subnet Mask: [Link] (16 bits)
Number of Networks: 16,382
Number of Hosts per Network: 65,534
IPv4 Class (cont.)
Class C Public & Private IP Address Range
Class C addresses are used in small local area networks (LANs). Class C allows for
approximately 2 million networks by using the first three octets for the network ID.
Public IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
• First octet value range from 192 to 223
Private IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
Special IP Range: [Link] to [Link]
Subnet Mask: [Link] (24 bits)
Number of Networks: 2,097,150
Number of Hosts per Network: 254
IPv4 Class (cont.)
Class D IP Address Range
Class D IP addresses are not allocated to hosts and are used for multicasting. Multicasting
allows a single host to send a single stream of data to thousands of hosts across the Internet
at the same time. It is often used for audio and video streaming, such as IP-based cable TV
networks.
Range: [Link] to [Link]
• First octet value range from 224 to 239
Number of Networks: N/A
Number of Hosts per Network: Multicasting
IPv4 Class (cont.)
Class E IP Address Class
Class E IP addresses are not allocated to hosts and are not available for general use. These are
reserved for research purposes.
Range: [Link] to [Link]
• First octet value range from 240 to 255
Number of Networks: N/A
Number of Hosts per Network:
Research/Reserved/Experimental
Static IP and DHCP
What Is a Static IP Address?
A static IP address is an IP address that doesn’t change. Going back to the
physical address analogy, if you have a static IP address within a network, it
becomes your permanent address. Anytime you connect to that network,
you get the same IP address.
When to use a static IP
Static IP addresses are especially important in cases where a device has to be
quickly found over the internet on a permanent basis.
• Web Servers: A website must have one or more static IP addresses to
be assigned to the domain always point to the correct server.
• Remote Access: Some of the devices that require a remote connection
like the CCTV cameras or a VPN are preferable to be as static as
possible.
• Hosting Servers: Game or email servers that are in constant use also
need a static IP so that the services running in the background remain
undisturbed.
• Secure Communications: Some devices that participate in secure
communications might require static IPs to make the link stable and
reliable.
Static IP Pros and Cons
Pros Cons
They have better DNS support. They’re more hackable than dynamic
IP addresses.
They work well with VPNs. They cost more than dynamic IP
addresses.
They’re better for anything requiring They make users easier to locate.
VoIP protocol, like video chat.
What Is a Dynamic IP Address?
A Dynamic IP address is an IP address which is changed from time to time. In
contrast to the static IP, an IPv6 address is obtained by DHCP server – (Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol) automatically.
In the DHCP, a host receives an available IP address from the DHCP server for
some period of time referred to as the lease time and the IP address given to the
host may change.
DHCP Pros and Cons
Pros Cons
They make it harder for anyone to Websites won’t necessarily be able
follow you around online. to fill in your information
automatically.
There’s no need to enter an IP They don’t work well with DNS web
address manually. servers.
They’re more affordable than static Geolocation data may not be
IP addresses. accurate.