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An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as 192.0.2.1 that is assigned to a device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] IP addresses serve two main functions: network interface identification , and location addressing .
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) performs this IP-address-to-hardware-address translation for IPv4. In addition, the reverse correlation is often necessary. For example, unless an address is preconfigured by an administrator, when an IP host is booted or connected to a network it needs to determine its IP address.
Each IP address consists of a network prefix followed by a host identifier. In the classful network architecture of IPv4, the three most significant bits of the 32-bit IP address defined the size of the network prefix for unicast networking, and determined the network class A, B, or C. [3]
Special address blocks Address block Address range Number of addresses Scope Description 0.0.0.0/8 0.0.0.0–0.255.255.255 16 777 216: Software Current (local, "this") network [1] 10.0.0.0/8 10.0.0.0–10.255.255.255 16 777 216: Private network Used for local communications within a private network [3] 100.64.0.0/10 100.64.0.0–100.127.255.255 ...
For these purposes, the Internet Protocol defines the format of packets and provides an addressing system. Each datagram has two components: a header and a payload. The IP header includes a source IP address, a destination IP address, and other metadata needed to route and deliver the datagram. The payload is the data that is transported.
An internetwork is the connection of multiple different types of computer networks to form a single computer network using higher-layer network protocols and connecting them together using routers. The Internet is the largest example of internetwork. It is a global system of interconnected governmental, academic, corporate, public, and private ...
The method divides the IP address space for Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) into five address classes based on the leading four address bits. Classes A, B, and C provide unicast addresses for networks of three different network sizes. Class D is for multicast networking and the class E address range is reserved for future or experimental ...
In computer networking, the notation is associated with the specific use of quad-dotted notation to represent IPv4 addresses [4] and used as a synonym for dotted-quad notation. [5] Dot-decimal notation is a presentation format for numerical data expressed as a string of decimal numbers each separated by a full stop.