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Ip Adresses Pointwise

An IP address is a unique identifier for devices on a network, consisting of a 32-bit number in IPv4 format, divided into a network ID and a host ID. Classful addressing categorizes IP addresses into five classes (A, B, C, D, E) to accommodate networks of varying sizes, with Class A supporting very large networks and Class C suitable for small networks. Classes D and E are reserved for multicast and experimental purposes, respectively.

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10 views3 pages

Ip Adresses Pointwise

An IP address is a unique identifier for devices on a network, consisting of a 32-bit number in IPv4 format, divided into a network ID and a host ID. Classful addressing categorizes IP addresses into five classes (A, B, C, D, E) to accommodate networks of varying sizes, with Class A supporting very large networks and Class C suitable for small networks. Classes D and E are reserved for multicast and experimental purposes, respectively.

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amit singh
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IP Addresses and Its Classes

Definition of IP Address:

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a


network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. It serves two primary functions: host
identification and location addressing.

IP addresses are 32-bit numbers in IPv4, divided into four 8-bit octets and usually represented in
dotted decimal notation (e.g., 192.168.1.1).

Structure of an IP Address:
 An IP address is divided into two parts:
1. Network ID: Identifies the specific network.
2. Host ID: Identifies the specific device (host) on that network.

Types of IP Addressing:
1. Classful Addressing
2. Classless Addressing (CIDR) – introduced later to deal with the inefficiencies of
classful addressing.

Here, we focus on Classful Addressing, which was the original scheme used in IP networking.

Classful IP Addressing:
Introduction:

Classful addressing divides the IP address space into five classes: Class A, B, C, D, and E. This
method was designed to accommodate networks of different sizes.

1. Class A:

 First Bit: Always starts with 0 in binary, making the first octet range from 0 to 127.
 Range: 0.0.0.0 to 127.255.255.255. However, only 1.0.0.0 to 126.255.255.255 are
usable.
o 0.0.0.0 is reserved for default routing.
o 127.0.0.0 to 127.255.255.255 is reserved for loopback and diagnostics.
 Default Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0, which is represented as /8 in CIDR.
 Network Bits: 8 bits are used to represent the network portion.
 Host Bits: 24 bits are available for host addressing.
 Number of Networks: 2⁷ = 128 total, but only 126 are usable.
 Hosts per Network: 2²⁴ - 2 = 16,777,214 (excluding network and broadcast).
 Usage: Suitable for extremely large networks like major ISPs or multinational
enterprises.

2. Class B:

 First Bit Pattern: Always starts with 10, which puts the first octet range from 128 to
191.
 Range: 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255.
 Default Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0, or /16 in CIDR.
 Network Bits: 16 bits (first two octets).
 Host Bits: 16 bits available for hosts.
 Number of Networks: 2¹⁴ = 16,384.
 Hosts per Network: 2¹⁶ - 2 = 65,534 usable host addresses.
 Usage: Ideal for medium to large-sized networks such as universities or large
organizations.

3. Class C:

 First Bit Pattern: Begins with 110, placing the first octet range from 192 to 223.
 Range: 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255.
 Default Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0, also written as /24.
 Network Bits: 24 bits used for the network.
 Host Bits: 8 bits available for hosts.
 Number of Networks: 2²¹ = 2,097,152.
 Hosts per Network: 2⁸ - 2 = 254 usable host addresses.
 Usage: Commonly used in small-scale networks, such as in small businesses or office
LANs.

4. Class D:

 First Bit Pattern: Always starts with 1110.


 Range: 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255.
 Subnet Mask: Not applicable, as Class D is not divided into networks and hosts.
 Usage: Reserved for multicast groups where data is sent to multiple recipients.
 Examples: Used in streaming services, live video broadcasts, and conferencing systems.

5. Class E:

 First Bit Pattern: Begins with 1111.


 Range: 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.
 Subnet Mask: Not defined, as this class is not used in general networking.
 Usage: Reserved for experimental purposes and future protocol developments.
 Note: These addresses are typically blocked by standard operating systems and routers.

✅Summary Table for Quick Review


Cla First Address Default Netwo Ho Usable Usable Purpose
ss Bit Range Subnet rk st Networ Hosts
Patte Mask Bits Bit ks per
rn s Networ
k
A 0xxx 0.0.0.0 – 255.0.0.0 8 24 126 16,777, Very large
xxxx 127.255.255 (/8) 214 networks
.255
B 10xx 128.0.0.0 – 255.255.0. 16 16 16,384 65,534 Medium-
xxxx 191.255.255 0 (/16) sized
.255 organizatio
ns
C 110x 192.0.0.0 – 255.255.2 24 8 2,097,1 254 Small
xxxx 223.255.255 55.0 (/24) 52 networks
.255
D 1110 224.0.0.0 – N/A N/A N/ N/A N/A Multicast
xxxx 239.255.255 A communica
.255 tion
E 1111 240.0.0.0 – N/A N/A N/ N/A N/A Experiment
xxxx 255.255.255 A al
.255 (reserved)

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