CPNT-217

Introduction to Network Systems

Investigating Network Addressing

Weight: 6% Marks: /9

Student Name:

Student ID:

Date:
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Table of Contents
Lab Title ......................................................................................................................................1

Introduction ..............................................................................................................................4

Equipment and Materials .........................................................................................................4

Procedure ................................................................................................................................3

Marking Criteria .......................................................................................................................9

References ..............................................................................................................................9

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology i

Investigating Network Addressing
Introduction
In this lab, learners will gain understanding of network addressing by investigating the
configuration of end devices and exploring header information as data moves through a
network.

Equipment and Materials

• One laptop or desktop computer with internet access
• Packet Tracer software (Download from Cisco’s Netacad website: https://www.netacad.com)
Under Resources, Download Packet Tracer.

Submitting your work

Create a separate document for your lab submission. Use the new document to record your
responses and notes, as well as any required screen captures. (Please label your screen
captures.)

Submit your lab document on D2L including responses to all questions. Be prepared to discuss
the reflection questions in class.

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 4

Procedure
Note: These instructions are designed for Windows 10 or 11 workstations. Other operating systems may use differing
commands.

Part 1: Your NIC (Network Interface Card)

In this section, we will explore the current configuration of the network interface card in your
physical/virtual machine. Each physical port will have a unique MAC address. (Media
Access Control address) This address is also referred to as a physical address. It will
consist of 48 bits of hexadecimal character and may be found in one of three standard
formats: xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx, xxxx.xxxx.xxxx, or xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx. The first 24 bits (6
hexadecimal characters) are known as the Organizationally Unique Identifier or OUI. The
last 24 bits are unique to the physical device. The OUI is dependant on the manufacturer of
the hardware and may be identified by searching for the specific OUI in your search engine
of choice.

1. Identify your MAC address

a. From the Windows Start menu, type in cmd. The command prompt gives us a
method of entering command to achieve results while bypassing many clicks
and menu changes.
b. At the command prompt, enter ipconfig /all. This will display the addressing
information for all of the interfaces connected to your computer.
c. Which characters reflect the OUI of your computer’s MAC address?
d. By searching this OUI on the internet, what company manufactured the
network interface card in your computer?
e. What is the unique host portion of your MAC address?

Screen Capture 1 – Create a screen capture showing the output of the command for the interface you are
using. Indicate your MAC address in the screen capture. (1 Point)

2. How many interfaces does your computer have? Are they all made by the same
manufacturer?

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 5

Part 2: Your IP Address

IP (Internet Protocol) addressing is used to identify traffic sources and destinations for traffic
that is travelling outside the local area network. (LAN) There are two different versions, IPv4
and IPv6. We will be looking at IPv4 in our lab exercise. IPv4 addresses are made up of 32
binary bits and are typically represented in a dotted decimal format. (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) This is
broken down into 4 groupings of 8 bits, which gives us minimum and maximum values of 0
and 255. We call these groups ‘octets.’ IPv4, with 32 bits, gives us a total of 4.29 billion
addresses, which were quickly being exhausted. This problem was alleviated by separating
the address space into classes and assigning ranges inside the classes as private ranges.
These private addresses are not routable on the internet but are used only inside private
networks. When identifying IPv4 addresses, it is important to look at two things: the 32-bit
address and the 32-bit subnet mask. The subnet mask tells the computer what range of
addresses it should consider to be inside its local network.

1. Identifying your IPv4 address

a. Use the same command as in part 1, ipconfig /all to view your interface
information.
b. Identify the IPv4 address from the output.
c. Identify the subnet mask from the output.
d. Compare your IPv4 address to the class chart provided and identify what
class your network belongs in.

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 6

Screen Capture 2 – Create a screen capture showing the output of the command for the interface you are
using. Indicate your IP address in the screen capture. (1 Point)

Classful Addressing Table

Class Address Range Classful Subnet Mask
Class A 0.0.0.0 – 126.255.255.255* 255.0.0.0 or /8
Class B 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255 255.255.0.0 or /16
Class C 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.255 255.255.255.0 or /24
Class D (Multicast) 224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255 Undefined
Class E (Experimental) 240.0.0.0 – 255.255.255.255 Undefined
*Note: The range between 127.0.0.0 and 127.255.255.255 is reserved for loopback addresses.

Because private IPv4 addresses cannot be routed on the internet, these addresses can be used
in any number of private networks without interfering with each other’s addressing schemes.

2. Which private class is more likely to be used for home use? For business use? Why? (2 Points)

Private Classful Addressing Table

Class Address Range Classful Subnet Mask
Class A 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255 255.0.0.0 or /8
Class B 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255 255.255.0.0 or /16
Class C 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255 255.255.255.0 or /24

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 7

Part 3: Data in motion

When data is moving inside a single LAN, the addressing that gets used most frequently is
the physical addressing, the MAC addresses. A network switch builds up a table of what
devices are connected to each interface using the MAC addresses. The data frame will
be encapsulated at each stop along its journey and the MAC addressing will be adjusted
to indicate the source and destination MAC addresses of the current link it will travel on.

IPv4 addressing is used most when data has to leave one network and travel to a different
network. The routers will look at the destination IPv4 address to determine what
interface to send that packet out of. The IP addressing does not change at all through its
journey from source to destination, but the MAC addressing changes with each step.

Watch the following video, then answer the questions relating to the graphic below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kfO61Mensg&t=900s

10.1.1.10
10.1.1.10 10.1.2.10
10.1.2.10 00D0.58cd.C201
00D0.FFD7.995E 0001.4366.1EAE
00D0.58CD.C201

1. As the packet moves from PC0 to PC1, what are the source and destination IP and
MAC addresses at each stage? (4 Points)
2. What changes do you see in the course of moving from one LAN to another? What
stays the same? (1 Point)

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 8

Marking Criteria
Part 1, Screen Capture 1 – 1 Mark

Part 2, Screen Capture 2 – 1 Mark

Part 2, Question 2 – 2 Marks (Correct answer, correct explanation)

Part 3, Question 1 – 4 Marks (Correct IP, correct MAC in section 1, correct IP, correct MAC in
section 2)

Part 3, Question 2 – 1 Mark

References
<Reference (APA format)

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 9