Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)

Introduction to Computer Networks

Study IP Addressing
Unit 6
Introduction
This Study Unit introduces the various classes and versions of
Study Session the IP addressing. It also carefully presents examples of IP
Outline address division known as subnets. A flash of binary number
conversion is intended to be treated.
 IP addressing
 IP Classes
Learning Outcomes of Study Unit 6
 Forms of IP
Upon completion of this study unit, you should be able to:

6.1 Explain the structure if IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

6.2 List the classes of IPv4 address and state their uses.
Study Session
6.3 Demonstrate how to subnet a network.
Duration
6.4 Illustrate the different types of network topology.
This Study Session requires a 2
6.5 Design simple topologies for Local Area Networks (LAN)
hours of formal study time.
Terminologies
You may spend an additional 2-
3 hours for revision
IP Internet Protocols

Subnet Sub Network addressing

 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

6.1 IP ADDRESSING
Managing Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses is an integral part of Computer Networks. It is a global
or private identifier that grants a computer access on a Network.

What layer in the OSI Model manages IP Addressing?

As we said in layer architecture, every computer/device in a network (public or private) must have
an IP address to send and receive messages.
An IP address can be defined as a numerical representation that uniquely identifies a
computer/device in a network. A device can be a smartphone or any digital device that can connect
to a computer network.

6.1.1 IPv4 and IPv6

IP addresses are divided in version 4 (IPv4) and version 6 (IPv6). IP addressing started with version
4 which uses 32-bit number structure. Because of the depletion of IPv4 addresses, IPv6 was
developed by the Internet Engineering Taskforce (IETF) and uses 128 bits number structure. The
two versions are currently in use.

The computer recognizes numbers, alphabets, images, audio and

video in binary digits. These are numbers represented in ‘0’ and ‘1’.
For e.g., 1001010 is a binary digit.
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Introduction to Computer Networks

Which of these numbers is not a NOT binary number?

A. 100101101
B. 101
C. 10
D. 103

Figure 1: IP in Bits
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Introduction to Computer Networks

Ipv4
Ipv4 is made up of 32-bit number structure. The total number of IPv4 addresses are 2^32 =
4,294,967,296. The address space is limited to 4,294,967,296 IP addresses; this was why Ipv6 was
developed.
Among these billions of addresses, 18 million addresses were reserved for private networks, while
270 million was reserved for multicast addresses.

IPv4 Address Structure

The IPv4 32-bit address is made up of four 8 bits that is represented in decimal form. IPv4
addresses have one thing in common, they are separated by dots. For e.g., 192.168.1.1 is seen as
11000000.10101000.00000001.000000001 by the computer. These numbers that are in ‘0s’ and
‘1’ are called binary numbers, base two numbers or binary digits.

Do you know how to convert numbers to binary base 2?

Try and convert 158 to binary number

The answer is 10011110

Figure 2: Conversion of 150 to binary digits

 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

E.g., 10.6.111.231 is an IP address. The computer takes 10.6.111.231 which is in decimal (base
10) and converts it to machine-readable format in base 2. This is how the computer sees the above
IP address

00001010.00000110.01101111.11100111

The network administrator assigned 172.168.1.196 as your IP

address, convert the IP address to binary digits.

Classes of IPv4 Addresses

This is commonly referred to as classful network addressing. The IPv4 addresses are divided into
5 classes (A, B, C, D, E). Each class has a range of IP addresses. IP addresses from the first three
classes are used for host addresses. Class D addresses are used for multicast, while class E
addresses are used for experimental purposes as presented in Table 3.

Table 1: Classes of IP
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

Among these IP addresses, some are reserved for special purposes, while other are used for public
and private networks. We will learn about them later.

Subnetting / Classless Inter Domain Routing (CIDR)

When assigning IP Addresses, the network part does not change. For instance, the Class
A network 14.0.0.0, the 14 which is the network part does not change when assigning IP
addresses. The addresses will start with 14.0.0.1, 14.0.0.67, 14.0.3.4…14.255.255.255.
Only the network part does not change.

List 5 possible IP addresses from these networks

1. 175.100.0.0/16
2. 194.14.1.0/24

 Class A - first 8 bits is the network part; the remaining 24 bits is the network part. E.g.,
10.0.0.0. The network part does not change. Also, class A networks have a total of
16,777,216 IP addresses per network. For instance, the Class A network 13.0.0.0/8 (/8 is
the CIDR notation), has a total IP address of 16,777,216. Can you list them? 13.0.0.1,
13.0.0.255, 13.0.1.0, 13.0.1.255, and so forth
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

Which of these networks are Class A networks? (Multiple choice allowed)

A. 112.67.83.100
B. 133.56.34.12
C. 156.123.244.23
D. 12.54.23.01

Class B Networks Properties

Number of Networks 16384 (214 )
Total addresses per network 65,536 (216 )
Total addresses for all networks 1,073,741,824 (230 ) i.e., 214 x 216
Size of network bit 16
Size of host bit 16
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

 Class C - first 24 bits is the network part; the remaining 8 bits is the network part. E.g.,
192.168.1.0

Note 192.168.0.0 is a class C address. The first 24 bits is the network part. The IP addresses in
this network will count from 192.168.0.0, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.0.2...192.168.0.254,
192.168.0.255

A total of 256 addresses is in this network.

5.1.5 Special IP Addresses

Source: https://www.ibm.com/docs/vi/zos/2.3.0?topic=considerations-special-ip-addresses
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

5.1.6 Private and Public IP Addresses

Private IP addresses are used in private networks. They are not routable through the internet. If
these addresses want to communicate with the public networks, the router will block any attempt
because they are not public addresses. We will focus on private IP addresses that used in a Local
Area Network (LAN).

Three address blocks (see Table 4), are reserved for communication with a LAN, namely
10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/16 and 192.168.0.0/24

Table 2: IP Ranges

If two private networks want to communicate through the public network

(internet), communications will be through an IP tunnel called a Virtual
Private Network (VPN).
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

Public address
These are IP addresses assigned by a router for a host computer or device to communicate
with the internet.

If you are connected to the internet, visit www.whatismyipaddress.com to find

your public IP address.

5.1.7 Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

An IP address can be static (does not change when the host disconnects from a network)
or dynamic (changes whenever a host disconnects and reconnects to a network).

Static address is typed manually into your computer when you connect to a network using
a LAN cable like UTP, STP, and Coaxial Cable. Dynamic addressing is managed by the
router which uses a protocol called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) for
dynamic IP address allocation.

5.1.8 Network Address Translation

Allows private IP addresses to communicate with the internet. A single IP address can be
used by a single or group of computers to access the internet. The router acts as an agent
between the local network (private network) and the internet (public network).

6.2 Types of IP Addresses

There are three types of IP addresses, they are unicast addresses, multicast addresses and
broadcast addresses.
Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

Figure 3: Communication forms

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Introduction to Computer Networks

The Figure in 33, illustrates in detail the forms of communication with various IP addresses.

6.2 IPv6

6.3 Network Topology

Network topology is defined as the arrangement of computers in a network. It shows how
computers, nodes, links, and network devices are connected to each other in a network. The
topology also informs a User were a device or computer is to be located on a network. A good
understanding of network topology will help in managing the resources available for the setting
up of the network.

As a network administrator in a network, each arrangement has its advantages and disadvantages.
The topology used in a network will determine how the network will be effectively managed, (for
example troubleshooting a network can be made easier by its topology), and the resources required
to setup the network.

A network topology can be physical or logical. Physical topology refers to the real connections
that can be seen. For e.g., the actual physical location of routers, switches, computers, cabling, are
seen in a physical topology.

A logical topology gives a high-level view of how a network is arranged. It gives an overview of
physical resources.
 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

6.3.1 Types of Network Topology

The network topology to be chosen should be determined by the size of your network.

Star Topology

Figure 4: Star Topology. Credit - comparitech.com

 Computer Science Level 1 (CS1)
Introduction to Computer Networks

Advantages of Star Topology

Disadvantages of Star Topology

Bus or Line
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Introduction to Computer Networks

Bus Topology

Figure 5: Line or Bus. Credit – tutsmaster.org

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Introduction to Computer Networks

Ring Topology

Figure 6: Ring Topology. Credit – kenCorner.com

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Introduction to Computer Networks

Mesh Topology
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Introduction to Computer Networks

Advantages of Mesh Topology

1.The network can hardly go down because there are different paths packets can be
routed for successful data transmission.

6.1.5 Tree Topology

Figure 7: Tree Topology. Credit – generalnote.com

In this topology, every node in a network is linked to a central hub, also two nodes can
only be connected to one mutual node. It creates a tree connection (parent-child
relationship). This allows for scalability and easy network administration.