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11.3.3 IPv4 Address Facts

Most networks today make use of the Internet Protocol (IP) for communication. On an IP
network, each host device is assigned a unique Layer 3 logical identi�er called an IP address.
The IP address is used to identify and locate each device on the network.

This lesson covers the following topics:

• IPv4 con�guration
• IPv4 con�guration methods
• IPv4 classes
• Special IPv4 addresses

IPv4 Con�guration
Each host on a network must be assigned an IPv4 con�guration. The IPv4 con�guration
consists of four main components. The following table describes each of these components:

Component Description

An IPv4 address is:

• A 32-bit address that consists of four decimal numbers (ranging from 0-255),
each separated by a dot (e.g., 192.168.1.50).
◦ Each decimal number is known as an octet, as it consists of eight 1's
and 0's.
IPv4 address ◦ The decimal values range from 0-255 because there are 256 (27)
combinations of 1's and 0's
• Composed of two components:
◦ The host ID which is a unique value for each host
◦ The network ID which identi�es the network the host is on. All hosts on
the network will have the same network ID

The subnet mask also consists of four octets. Each octet is usually either a 0 or 255, but
not always. The subnet mask is used to identify the octets in the IPv4 address that are
the host ID and those that are the network ID.

Subnet mask 255 represents the network ID and 0 represents the host ID. For example:

The subnet mask 255.255.0.0 indicates that the �rst two octets in the IPv4
address are the network ID and the last two octets are the host ID.

The default gateway is responsible for forwarding data packets to destinations outside
Default
of the network.
gateway

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• For example, when a host requests a internet site, the request is sent to the
gateway device which then forwards the request to the appropriate
destination. When the requested data comes back, the gateway sends it to the
requesting host device.
• The default gateway is typically a router that sits on the edge of the network.

The IPv4 con�guration speci�es the address of the default gateway.

On a network, including the internet, computers use IP addresses to identify each

other and specify where data should go. However, it is much easier for users to use
DNS server hostnames to identify websites or other network devices.
address
The DNS server is responsible converting hostnames to IP addresses. Part of the IPv4
con�guration is specifying the address of the DNS server.

IP Con�guration Methods
Two methods can be used to con�gure hosts with IPv4 con�gurations. The following table
describes these two methods:

Con�guration
Description
Method

Each host must be manually con�gured. The main bene�t of static con�guration is
that the IP con�guration does not change. The host retains the IP address even if the
device is shut down and rebooted. A static con�guration is best used on devices that
are accessed by other hosts, such as servers and network printers.

The drawbacks of using a static con�guration include:

Static
con�guration • Each device must be manually con�gured. This is very time consuming with
larger networks.
• It is easy to accidentally enter in the wrong information such as the default
gateway or an incorrect subnet mask.
• It is easy to duplicate addresses. Keep detailed documentation of IP address
assignment.

A dynamic con�guration uses the Dynamic Host Con�guration Protocol (DHCP). This
method uses a server that is con�gured with the network's IP con�guration
information.

Dynamic • When a new device connects to the network, it sends a broadcast message
con�guration on the network looking for the DHCP server.
• The DHCP server then responds and provides the host with the IPv4
con�guration.

Using DHCP makes the con�guration process much easier as the process is

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automated once the server has been con�gured.

Many SOHO wireless routers have DHCP functionality and can serve as a
 DHCP server.

IPv4 Classes
IP addresses have a default class. The address class identi�es the range of IP addresses and
the default subnet mask used for the range. The following table shows the default address
class for each IP address range.

Number
Address Subnet
Class First Octet Range of Private IP Rang
Range Mask
Addresses

1–126
1.0.0.0 to 16,777,216 10.0.0.1 –
A (00000001–01111110 255.0.0.0
126.255.255.255 (224) 10.255.255.255
binary)

128–191
128.0.0.0 to 65,536 172.16.0.0 –
B (10000000–10111111 255.255.0.0
191.255.255.255 (216) 172.31.255.255
binary)

192–223
192.0.0.0 to 256 192.168.0.0 –
C (11000000–11011111 255.255.255.0
223.255.255.255 (28) 192.168.255.255
binary)

224–239
224.0.0.0 to
D (11100000–11101111 N/A N/A Used for multicas
239.255.255.255
binary)

240–255
240.0.0.0 to
E (11110000–11111111 N/A N/A Experimental/Resea
255.255.255.255
binary)

Because IP addresses assigned to hosts must be unique, the use of IP addresses on the
internet is controlled by organizations that ensure that every organization is given its own
range of IP addresses to assign to hosts:

• The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) manages the assignment of IP

addresses on the internet. IANA is operated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN).
• IANA allocates blocks of IP addresses to Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). An RIR has
authority over IP addresses in a speci�c region of the world.
• An RIR assigns blocks of addresses to internet service providers (ISPs).

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• An ISP assigns one or more IP addresses to individual computers or organizations

connected to the internet.

Because each IP address on any network, including the internet, must be unique, each IP class
has a reserved range for private IP addresses.

• Public IP addresses are those that are used on the internet. These are typically
assigned by the ISP.
• Private IP addresses are used on internal networks only and are not used on the
internet.
◦ When a device on the internal network accesses the internet, that data tra�c is
sent using the public IP address.
◦ Because private IP addresses are never used on the internet, users in one private
network can have the same IP address as users in another private network.

Special IPv4 Addresses

The following table describes some special IP addresses network technicians must be aware
of:

IP Address Description

Automatic Private
IP Addressing A feature that allows a device to automatically assign itself an IP address on the
(APIPA) 169.254.0.0 network when a DHCP server or manual con�guration is unavailable.
169.254.0.0

This special address is also known as home or localhost. This address is reserved
Loopback by each network interface card (NIC) and is used for testing purposes. Ping
127.0.0.1 requests can be sent to this address and if returned means that the NIC is capable
of sending and receiving data packets.

Broadcast The last valid IP address on a network is reserved for broadcast functions. Any
*.*.*.255 packet sent to this address is sent to all devices on the network subnet.

The �rst valid IP address on the network is reserved for the network ID. This
Network
address is used for routing purposes to identify the network and is not usually
*.*.*.0
assigned to a host.

Because the network address and broadcast address reserve the �rst and last valid
 IP addresses, usually host IDs don't end in a 0 or 255. But, there are instances
where they do.

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