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The TCP/IP model includes specifications for translating the network addressing methods used in the Internet Protocol to link-layer addresses, such as media access control (MAC) addresses. All other aspects below that level, however, are implicitly assumed to exist and are not explicitly defined in the TCP/IP model.
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 .
IP addressing entails the assignment of IP addresses and associated parameters to host interfaces. The address space is divided into subnets , involving the designation of network prefixes. IP routing is performed by all hosts, as well as routers , whose main function is to transport packets across network boundaries.
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.
Computers that belong to a subnet are addressed with an identical most-significant bit-group in their IP addresses. This results in the logical division of an IP address into two fields, the network number or routing prefix and the rest field or host identifier. The rest field is an identifier for a specific host or network interface.
The IP address of a public server is also important, similar in global uniqueness to a postal address or telephone number. Both IP address and port number must be correctly known by all hosts wishing to successfully communicate. Private IP addresses as described in RFC 1918 are usable only on private networks not directly connected to the internet.
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Private network Used for local communications within a private network [3] 198.18.0.0/15 198.18.0.0–198.19.255.255 131 072: Private network Used for benchmark testing of inter-network communications between two separate subnets [9] 198.51.100.0/24 198.51.100.0–198.51.100.255 256: Documentation Assigned as TEST-NET-2, documentation and ...