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IP Addresses | Types, Working, Classifications

IP Address

Wirelessly or via underground or underwater cables, all of the computers on the Internet network communicate with one another. My computer must have an IP addresses so that other computers can locate it and deliver the requested file or webpage if I want to download a file from the internet, load a web page, or do anything remotely related to the internet. In technical terms, that address is referred to as an IP Address, or Internet Protocol Address.

Working of IP Addresses

Working of IP Addresses

IP addresses function similarly to other languages. It can likewise utilize some rules to send data. We can easily send and receive data or files to connected devices using these protocols. Behind the scenes, there are numerous steps. Let’s check them out

  • Your device makes a direct request to your Internet Service Provider, which gives you web access.
  • Your web movement goes through your specialist co-op, and they course it back to you, utilizing your IP address.
  • IP addresses are divided into subnets, which is helpful for organizations and optimizing the networks by breaking the larger network into small segments.
  • Routers use IP addresses to determine the best path for data to travel from the source to the destination on the internet.
  • IP addresses use firewalls to protect the unwanted behaviour on your server.

IP Address Types

IP addresses are of two types:

  • IPv4
  • IPv6.

IPv4

IPV4 stands for Internet Protocol Version 4. IPv4 has 4 numbers which are separated by dots. The number can be from 0-255 in decimal numbers. However, PCs don’t apprehend decimal numbers, they rather transform them into paired numbers which are just 0 and 1. The address space of IPv4 is 232 or 4,294,967,296.

IPv4 is divided into 5 classes but the three are most commonly used:

  1. Class A: It supports the 16 million hosts of 128 networks (1.0.0.0 to 126.255.255.255).
  2. Class B: This is supports 65000 hosts on each 16000 networks (128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255).
  3. Class C: This supports 254 host on 2 million networks (192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255).
  4. Class D: 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 This is reserved for multicast groups.
  5. Class E: 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255 This is reserved for experimental use.

IPv6

IPv4 allows us to connect only the above 4 billion devices in a single connection, though many more devices need to be connected to the internet. The IPv6 is the most recent and most used communication protocol which provides the identification and location tracking system for devices and computers on the internet. IPv6 was developed by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) to overcome the drawbacks of IPv4. IPv6 is repressed as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits each, separated in colons not dotted like IPv4. For example, 2003:0db8:0000:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334 becomes 2001:db8::8a2e:370:7334.

There are 3 types of IPv6 Address:

  1. Unicast Addresses– The unicast address only specifies one interface. A parcel moves from one host to the objective host when shipped off a unicast address objective.
  2. Multicast Addresses– Multicast IP represents the group of IP devices and can only be used as the destination of the datagram.
  3. Anycast Addresses – The multicast address and the anycast address are something similar. The ability of the anycast address to provide the same IP address to multiple servers or devices distinguishes it from other types of addresses.

Classification of IP Address

Public IP addresses – A public IP address is available publicly and is assigned to your router by your network provider, which divides it further among your devices. There are two types of public IP addresses.

  1. Dynamic IP Address – Let’s say your Internet Service Provider assigns you an IP Address from a list of those that are available when you connect a computer or smartphone to the internet. The exceptionally next time when you attempt to associate with the web with a similar gadget, your supplier furnishes you with various IP Locations to a similar gadget and furthermore from a similar accessible reach.
  2. Static IP Address – Static IP is a 32-bit number assigned to computer on the address location on the internet. In contrast to a dynamic IP address, which changes each time a device connects to the internet, the term “static IP” refers to an IP address that is assigned to a device and remains constant. They are assigned by users to specific resources or devices.

Private IP addresses – This is a private location of your gadget which is not directed to the web and no trade of information can occur between a confidential location and the web.


Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

  1. What is the full form of IP?

    The full form of IP is the Internet Protocol address.

  2. What are the types of IP addresses?

    There are 4 types of IP addresses: Public, Private, Fixed and Dynamic IP addresses.

  3. What is IP format?

    The IP address is dotted-decimal, with four numbers separated by periods like 193.45.132.136

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Er. Vaibhav Sharma

As a Computer Science Engineering student with a passion for writing, I combine my technical expertise with clear, engaging content. At Engineeringa2z, I aim to make complex technology easy to understand, helping readers stay informed and empowered.

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