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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.
In the original design of IPv4, an IP address was divided into two parts: the network identifier was the most significant octet of the address, and the host identifier was the rest of the address. The latter was also called the rest field. This structure permitted a maximum of 256 network identifiers, which was quickly found to be inadequate.
This means that 256 /8 address blocks fit into the entire IPv4 space. As IPv4 address exhaustion has advanced to its final stages, some organizations, such as Stanford University , formerly using 36.0.0.0 / 8 , have returned their allocated blocks (in this case to APNIC ) to assist in the delay of the exhaustion date.
IP versions 1 to 3 were experimental versions, designed between 1973 and 1978. [7] Versions 2 and 3 supported variable-length addresses ranging between 1 and 16 octets (between 8 and 128 bits). [ 8 ] An early draft of version 4 supported variable-length addresses of up to 256 octets (up to 2048 bits) [ 9 ] but this was later abandoned in favor ...
Since the introduction of CIDR, however, the assignment of an IP address to a network interface requires two parameters, the address and a subnet mask. Given an IPv4 source address, its associated subnet mask, and the destination address, a router can determine whether the destination is on a locally connected network or a remote network.
IP addresses in dot-decimal notation are also presented in CIDR notation, in which the IP address is suffixed with a slash and a number, used to specify the length of the associated routing prefix. For example, 127.0.0.1/8 specifies that the IP address has an eight-bit routing prefix, and therefore the subnet mask 255.0.0.0 .
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Broadcast address derivation example Network IP address breakdown for 172.16.0.0 / 12 Binary form Dot-decimal notation In bold below is shown the host part (suffix) of the IP address, with the network address prefix being the non-bold bits to its left. To obtain the broadcast address, the host bits get set to all 1's, while the network address ...