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IP addresses are assigned to a host either dynamically as they join the network, or persistently by configuration of the host hardware or software. Persistent configuration is also known as using a static IP address. In contrast, when a computer's IP address is assigned each time it restarts, this is known as using a dynamic IP address.
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.
Used for loopback addresses to the local host [1] 169.254.0.0/16 169.254.0.0–169.254.255.255 65 536: Subnet Used for link-local addresses [5] between two hosts on a single link when no IP address is otherwise specified, such as would have normally been retrieved from a DHCP server 172.16.0.0/12 172.16.0.0–172.31.255.255 1 048 576: Private ...
There are two primary types of IP addresses in use today: IP version 4 (IPv4) and IP version 6 (IPv6). The former has been around since January 1983, and is still the most common. These are 32-bit ...
Today, IP addresses are associated with a subnet mask. This was not required in a classful network because the mask was implied by the address itself; any network device would inspect the first few bits of the IP address to determine the class of the address and thus its netmask.
Some large / 8 blocks of IPv4 addresses, the former Class A network blocks, are assigned in whole to single organizations or related groups of organizations, either by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), or a regional Internet registry.
The IP address of the destination is used to make decisions about routing IP packets to other networks. IPv6 is the successor to the first addressing infrastructure of the Internet, Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). In contrast to IPv4, which defined an IP address as a 32-bit value, IPv6 addresses have a size of 128 bits.
Packets that hold Internet Protocol data carry a 4-bit IP version number as the first field of its header. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Currently, only IPv4 and IPv6 packets are seen on the Internet , having IP version numbers 4 and 6, respectively.