NETWORK

ADDRESSING

PREPARED BY: Mr. John Paul B. Villarin

A computer network is a group of interconnected
computers that share common or different
resources provided on or by network nodes. This
sharing or communication between the machines
is governed by some set of rules or
network protocols. These computers or
machines are identified by network addresses
and may have hostnames.
 WHAT IS A NETWORK ADDRESS?
A Network Address is a logical or physical address that uniquely identifies a

host or a machine in a telecommunication network. A network may also not be

unique and can contain some structural and hierarchical information of the

node in the network. Internet protocol (IP) address, media access control

(MAC) address, and telephone numbers are some basic examples of network

addresses. It can be of numeric type or symbolic or both in some cases.

WHAT IS AN IP ADDRESS?
 The most widely used network address is an Internet Protocol address (IP address).

 An IP address is a 32-bit long numeric address represented in a form of dotted-decimal notation

where each byte is written in a decimal form separated by a period. The 32 bits are divided into four

octets, which are 8-bit bytes.

 For example 196.32.216.9 is an IP address where 196 represents first 8 bits, 32 next 8 bits and so

on. The first three bytes of an IP address represents the network and the last byte specifies the

host in the network.

An IP address is simply a
series of 32 binary bits (ones
and zeros). It is very difficult
for humans to read a binary IP
address. For this reason, the
32 bits are grouped into four
8-bit bytes called octets. An IP
address in this format is hard
for humans to read, write, and
remember. To make the IP
address easier to understand,
each octet is presented as its
decimal value, separated by a
decimal point or period. This is
referred to as dotted-decimal
notation.
IP ADDRESS
 An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is connected to a computer network that uses the

Internet Protocol for communication.

 An IP address serves two main functions: network interface identification, and location addressing.

 To communicate on a network using TCP/IP, each system must be assigned a unique address.

The address defines both the number of the network to which the device is attached and the

number of the node on that network. In other words, the IP address provides two pieces of

information. It’s a bit like a street name and house number in a person’s home address.
 PURPOSE OF THE IP ADDRESS

01 — The host needs an IP address to connect to the Internet. An IP address is a logical network

address that identifies a specific host. It needs to be properly and uniquely configured to

communicate with other devices connected to the Internet.

02 — An IP address is assigned to a host for the Network interface connection. This connection is

usually a network interface card (NIC) installed in the device. Examples of end-user devices with

network connectivity include workstations, servers, network printers, and IP phones. Some

servers may have more than one NIC and each of these has its own IP address. Router

interfaces that provide connectivity to an IP network will also have an IP address.

03 — Every packet sent over the Internet has a source and destination IP address. This information

needs network devices to ensure that the information reaches the destination and that any

response is sent back to the source.

IP ADDRESS
 The most common IP address currently used on the Internet is the 32-bit IP address, which is
set by IP version 4 (IPv4). There are over 4 billion IP addresses available using the 32-bit
addressing method.
 As soon as an IP address is received by the NIC and is sent to the host, all 32 bits are
examined. But for humans, the 32 bits must be converted into their four octet decimal
equivalent. An octet, which is made up of 8 bits, has a specific value for each bit. Each of the
four sets of 8 bits has the same values. From right to left, the following bits in an octet have
values of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128. One is the value of the rightmost bit in an octet. The
value of each of the four octets can range from 0 to a maximum of 255.
Determine the value of the octet by adding the values of positions wherever there is
a binary 1 present.
If there is a 0 in a position, do not add the value.
If all 8 bits are 0s. 00000000 the value of the octet is 0.
If all 8 bits are 1s, 11111111 the value of the octet is 255 (128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1)
If the 8 bits are mixed, such as the example 00100111, the value of the octet is 39
(32+4+2+1)

So the value of each of the four octets can range from 0 to a maximum of 255.
PARTS OF AN IP ADDRESS
The logical 32-bit IP address is
hierarchical and is made up of two
parts. The first part identifies the
network and the second part identifies
a host on that network. Both parts are
required in an IP address.

As an example, if a host has IP

address 192.168.18.99 the first three
octets, (192.168.18), identify the
network portion of the address, and
the last octet, (99) identifies the host.
This is known as hierarchical
addressing because the network
portion indicates the network on
which each unique host address is
located. Routers only need to know
how to reach each network, rather
than needing to know the location of
each individual host.
How IP Addresses and Subnet Masks Interact?
There are two parts to every IP address. How do hosts
know which portion is the network and which is the
host? This is the job of the subnet mask.

When an IP host is configured, a subnet mask is

assigned along with an IP address. Like the IP
address, the subnet mask is 32 bits long. The subnet
mask signifies which part of the IP address is network
and which part is host.

The subnet mask is compared to the IP address from

left to right, bit for bit. The 1s in the subnet mask
represent the network portion; the 0s represent the
host portion. In the example shown, the first three
octets are network, and the last octet represents the
host.

When a host sends a packet, it compares its subnet

mask to its own IP address and the destination IP
address. If the network bits match, both the source and
destination host are on the same network and the
packet can be delivered locally. If they do not match,
the sending host forwards the packet to the local router
interface to be sent on to the other network.
 IP Address Classes and Default Subnet Masks

Class A — Class A IP addresses have a range of valid addresses from 1.0.0.0 to 127.0.0.0. They
are used for networks with a large number of hosts.

Class B — Class B IP addresses have a range of valid addresses from 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.0.0.
They are used for networks with a moderate number of hosts.

Class C — Class C IP addresses have a range of valid addresses from 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.0. They
are used for networks with a small number of hosts.

Class D — Class D IP addresses have a range of valid addresses from 224.0.0.0 to

239.255.255.255. They are used for multicast purposes.

Class E — Class E IP addresses have a range of valid addresses from 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.
They are reserved for experimental purposes.
 Public and Private IP Addresses
What is a Private IP Address?
The Private IP Address of a system is the IP address that is used to communicate within the
same network. Using private IP data or information can be sent or received within the same
network. The router basically assigns these types of addresses to the device. Unique private
IP Addresses are provided to each and every device that is present on the network. A private
IP address is used within a private network, such as a home or office network. It is not
directly accessible from the internet. Private IP addresses are used for communication
between devices within the same network.

What is a Public IP Address?

The Public IP Address of a system is the IP address that is used to communicate outside the
network. A public IP address is basically assigned by the ISP (Internet Service Provider). A
public IP address is assigned to a device that is directly connected to the internet. It is unique
and can be accessed from anywhere on the internet. Public IP addresses are used for
communication between devices on different networks.
RFC 1918 is a standard that reserves
several ranges of addresses within each of
the classes A, B and C. As shown in the
table, these private address ranges consist
of a single Class A network, 16 Class B
networks and 256 Class C networks. This
gives a network administrator considerable
flexibility in assigning internal addresses.

A very large network can use the Class A

private network, which allows for over 16
million private addresses.

On medium size networks, a Class B

private network could be used, which
provides over 65,000 addresses.

Home and small business networks typically

use a single class C private address, which
allows up to 254 hosts.
Unicast, Broadcast, and Multicast Addresses

IP addresses can also be categorized as unicast, broadcast, or

multicast. Hosts can use IP addresses to communicate one-to-one
(unicast), one-to-many (multicast) or one-to-all (broadcast).
A unicast address is the most
common type on an IP network. A
packet with a unicast destination
address is intended for a specific host.
An example is a host with IP address
192.168.1.5 (source) requesting a
web page from a server at IP address
192.168.1.200 (destination).

For a unicast packet to be sent and

received, a destination IP address
must be in the IP packet header. A
corresponding destination MAC
address must also be present in the
Ethernet frame header. The IP
address and MAC address combine to
deliver data to one specific destination
host.
With a broadcast, the packet contains a
destination IP address with all ones (1s) in the
host portion. This means that all hosts on that
local network (broadcast domain) will receive
and look at the packet. Many network
protocols, such as ARP and DHCP use
broadcasts.

A Class C network 192.168.1.0 with a default

subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 has a
broadcast address of 192.168.1.255. The host
portion is decimal 255 or binary 11111111 (all
1s).

A Class B network of 172.16.0.0, with a default

mask of 255.255.0.0, has a broadcast of
172.16.255.255.

A Class A network of 10.0.0.0, with a default

mask of 255.0.0.0, has a broadcast of
10.255.255.255
Multicast addresses allow a source
device to send a packet to a group of
devices.

Devices that belong to a multicast group

are assigned a multicast group IP
address. The range of multicast
addresses is from 224.0.0.0 to
239.255.255.255. Since multicast
addresses represent a group of
addresses (sometimes called a host
group), they can only be used as the
destination of a packet. The source will
always have a unicast address.
Examples of where multicast addresses would be used are in remote
gaming, where many players are connected remotely but playing the
same game. Another example would be distance learning through video
conferencing, where many students are connected to the same class. As
with a unicast or broadcast address, multicast IP addresses need a
corresponding multicast MAC address to actually deliver frames on a local
network. The multicast MAC address is a special value that begins with
01-00-5E in hexadecimal. The value ends by converting the lower 23 bits
of the IP multicast group address into the remaining 6 hexadecimal
characters of the Ethernet address. An example, as shown in the graphic,
is hexadecimal 01-00-5E-0F-64-C5. Each hexadecimal character is 4
binary bits.
 The End.

Thank you for Listening!

TYPES OF ADDRESSES IN AN IPv4 NETWORK
Within the address range of each IPv4 network, we have three types of
addresses:

Network address - The address by which we refer to the network

Broadcast address - A special address used to send data to all hosts in the
network
Host addresses - The addresses assigned to the end devices in the network
The network address is a standard way to refer
to a network. For example, we could refer to
the network shown in the figure as "the
10.0.0.0 network." This is a much more
convenient and descriptive way to refer to the
network than using a term like "the first
network." All hosts in the 10.0.0.0 network will
have the same network bits.
Within the IPv4 address range of a network,
the lowest address is reserved for the network
address. This address has a 0 for each host bit
in the host portion of the address.
The IPv4 broadcast address is a special
address for each network that allows
communication to all the hosts in that network.
To send data to all hosts in a network, a host
can send a single packet that is addressed to
the broadcast address of the network.
The broadcast address uses the highest
address in the network range. This is the
address in which the bits in the host portion
are all 1s. For the network 10.0.0.0 with 24
network bits, the broadcast address would be
10.0.0.255. This address is also referred to as
the directed broadcast.
Every end device requires a
unique address to deliver a
packet to that host. In IPv4
addresses, we assign the values
between the network address
and the broadcast address to the
devices in that network.
Network Prefixes

How do we know how many bits represent the network portion and how many
bits represent the host portion? When we express an IPv4 network address, we
add a prefix length to the network address. The prefix length is the number of
bits in the address that gives us the network portion. For example, in 172.16.4.0
/24, the /24 is the prefix length - it tells us that the first 24 bits are the network
address. This leaves the remaining 8 bits, the last octet, as the host portion.
How IP Addresses are Obtained?
Static and Dynamic Address Assignment
STATIC
With a static assignment, the network administrator must manually configure the network
information for a host. At a minimum, this includes the host IP address, subnet mask and
default gateway.

Static addresses have some advantages. For instance, they are useful for printers, servers and
other networking devices that need to be accessible to clients on the network. If hosts normally
access a server at a particular IP address, it would not be good if that address changed.

Static assignment of addressing information can provide increased control of network

resources, but it can be time consuming to enter the information on each host. When entering
IP addresses statically, the host only performs basic error checks on the IP address. Therefore,
errors are more likely to occur.

When using static IP addressing, it is important to maintain an accurate list of which IP

addresses are assigned to which devices. Additionally, these are permanent addresses and are
not normally reused.
DYNAMIC
On local networks it is often the case that the user population changes frequently. New users
arrive with laptops and need a connection. Others have new workstations that need to be
connected. Rather than have the network administrator assign IP addresses for each
workstation, it is easier to have IP addresses assigned automatically. This is done using a
protocol known as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

DHCP provides a mechanism for the automatic assignment of addressing information such as
IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and other configuration information. DHCP is
generally the preferred method of assigning IP addresses to hosts on large networks since it
reduces the burden on network support staff and virtually eliminates entry errors.

Another benefit of DHCP is that an address is not permanently assigned to a host but is only
leased for a period of time. If the host is powered down or taken off the network, the address is
returned to the pool for reuse. This is especially helpful with mobile users that come and go on
a network.
DHCP SERVERS
If you enter a wireless hotspot at an airport or coffee shop, DHCP makes it possible
for you to access the Internet. As you enter the area, your laptop DHCP client
contacts the local DHCP server via a wireless connection. The DHCP server assigns
an IP address to your laptop.

Various types of devices can be DHCP servers as long as they are running DHCP
service software. With most medium to large networks, the DHCP server is usually a
local dedicated PC-based server.

With home networks the DHCP server is usually located at the ISP and a host on the
home network receives its IP configuration directly from the ISP.
Network Boundaries and Address Space
The router provides a gateway through which hosts on one network can
communicate with hosts on different networks. Each interface on a router is
connected to a separate network.

The IP address assigned to the interface identifies which local network is connected
directly to it.

Every host on a network must use the router as a gateway to other networks.
Therefore, each host must know the IP address of the router interface connected to
the network where the host is attached. This address is known as the default
gateway address. It can be either statically configured on the host, or received
dynamically by DHCP.
When an integrated router is configured
to be a DHCP server for the local
network, it automatically sends the
correct interface IP address to the hosts
as the default gateway address. In this
manner, all hosts on the network can use
that IP address to forward messages to
hosts located at the ISP and get access
to hosts on the Internet. Integrated
routers are usually set to be DHCP
servers by default.
SUBNETTING
Subnetting is another method of
managing IP addresses.

Internally, networks may be divided

into smaller networks called
subnetworks, or simply subnets. By
providing a third level of address,
subnets provide extra flexibility for
the network administration.
This method of dividing full network address classes into smaller pieces has prevented complete
IP address exhaustion. It is impossible to cover TCP/IP without mentioning subnetting. As a
system administrator it is important to understand subnetting as a means of dividing and
identifying separate networks throughout the LAN. It is not always necessary to subnet a small
network. However, for large or extremely large networks, subnetting is required.

Subnetting a network means to use the subnet mask to divide the network and break a large
network up into smaller, more efficient and manageable segments, or subnets. An example
would be the U.S. telephone system which is broken into area codes, exchange codes, and
local numbers. The system administrator must resolve these issues when adding and expanding
the network. It is important to know how many subnets or networks are needed and how many
hosts will be needed on each network. With subnetting, the network is not limited to the default
Class A, B, or C network masks and there is more flexibility in the network design.
 Subnet Mask Assignment
 Like an IP address, a subnet mask is most commonly expressed in 32-bit dotted-decimal format.

Unlike an IP address, though, a subnet mask performs just one function—it defines which parts of

the IP address refer to the network address and which refer to the node address. Each class of the

IP address used for address assignment has a default subnet mask associated with it.

Default Subnet Masks Associated with IP Address Classes

SUBNETTING
 Subnetting is a process by which the node portions of an IP address create more networks than

you would have if you used the default subnet mask.

 Subnetting does not increase the number of IP addresses available. It increases the number of

network IDs and, as a result, decreases the number of node IDs per network. It also creates more

broadcast domains. Broadcasts are not forwarded by routers, so they are limited to the network on

which they originate.

SUBNETTING
Two main reasons for subnetting:

1. It enables you to more effectively use IP address ranges.

2. It makes IP networking more secure and manageable by providing a mechanism to create multiple

networks rather than having just one. Using multiple networks confines traffic to the network that it needs to be

on, which reduces overall network traffic levels. Multiple subnets also create more broadcast domains, which

in turn reduces network-wide broadcast traffic. A difference exists between broadcast domains and collision

domains: The latter is all the connected nodes, whereas the former is all the logical nodes that can reach each

other. As such, collision domains are typically subsets of broadcast domains.

 The End.

Thank you for Listening!