TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is a suite of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet.
• IP ADDRESS - An Internet Protocol (IP) address is the unique
identifying number assigned to every device connected to the internet. An IP address definition is a numeric label assigned to devices that use the internet to communicate.
• SUBNET MASK - A subnet mask is defined as a 32-bit address that
segregates an IP address into network bits that identify the network and host bits that identify the host device operating on that network. The “255” address is always assigned to a broadcast address, and the “0” address is always assigned to a network address.
• DEFAULT GATEWAY - is the path used to pass information when
the device doesn't know where the destination is. More directly, a default gateway is a router that connects your host to remote network segments. It's the exit point for all the packets in your network that have destinations outside your network.
• DNS (Domain Name System) - DNS allows a domain name to be
used as a pseudonym for a specific IP address. (i.e. www.microsoft.com). Every device on the Internet is assigned an IP address, but navigating to them using their 12-digit IP address would be very cumbersome. To Open TCP/IP Properties type: ncpa.cpl in the command prompt (administrator)
IP ADDRESSES For this process to work, an IP address has two parts. The first part of an IP address is used as a network address, the last part as a host address. Some IP addresses are reserved by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). These are typically reserved for networks that carry a specific purpose on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which is used to interconnect devices. Four of these IP address classes include:
1. 0.0.0.0: This IP address in IPv4 is also known as the default network. It is the non- routeable meta address that designates an invalid, non-applicable, or unknown network target. 2. 127.0.0.1: This IP address is known as the loopback address, which a computer uses to identify itself regardless of whether it has been assigned an IP address. 3. 169.254.0.1 to 169.254.254.254: A range of addresses that are automatically assigned if a computer is unsuccessful in an attempt to receive an address from the DHCP. 4. 255.255.255.255: An address dedicated to messages that need to be sent to every computer on a network or broadcasted across a network.
IPv4 vs. IPv6
IPv4 uses bits 0 and 1 with 4 Octets. It has a 32-Bit IP addressing system. It has not been able to cope with the massive explosion in the quantity and range of devices beyond simply mobile phones, desktop computers, and laptops. The original IP address format was not able to handle the number of IP addresses being created. To address this problem, IPv6 was introduced. This new standard operates a hexadecimal format that means billions of unique IP addresses can now be created. As a result, the IPv4 system that could support up to around 4.3 billion unique numbers has been replaced by an alternative that, theoretically, offers unlimited IP addresses. That is because an IPv6 IP address consists of eight groups that contain four hexadecimal digits, which use 16 distinct symbols of 0 to 9 followed by A to F to represent values of 10 to 15.
IP ADDRESS CLASSES:
Class A IPADDRESS RANGE: 1.0.0.0 – 126.255.255.255 SUBNET MASK 255.0.0.0
Example: IP address 10.2.3.5 Subnet mask = 255.0.0.0
Class B
IPADDRESS RANGE: 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255
SUBNET MASK 255.255.0.0,
Example: IP address 130.15.2.1 Subnet mask = 255.255.0.0
Class C
IPADDRESS RANGE: 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.255
SUBNET MASK 255.255.255.0
Example: IP address 192.10.1.1 Subnet mask = 255.255.255.0 UNDERSTANDING IP ADDRESS IN 32-BIT FORMAT (IPV4) (BINARY NUMBER SYSTEM) Bit 1 – ON Bit - OFF Octets (4) IP ADDRESS: 92.68.100.153 First Octet: 92 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 Second Octet: 68 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Third Octet: 100 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Fourth Octet: 153 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
