3/23/25, 9:12 PM Introduction of Classful IP Addressing - GeeksforGeeks

Introduction of Classful IP Addressing

Last Updated : 14 Jan, 2025

An IP address is an address that has information about how to reach a specific host, especially
outside the LAN. An IP address is a 32-bit unique address having an address space of 232.

Classful IP addressing is a way of organizing and managing IP addresses, which are used to
identify devices on a network. Think of IP addresses like street addresses for houses; each
device on a network needs its unique address to communicate with other devices. In this article,
we will discuss Classful IP addresses, and their types in detail.

Classful IP Addressing
Classful IP addressing is an obsolete method for allocating IP addresses and dividing the
available IP address space across networks. It was used from 1981 to 1993 until the introduction
of CIDR (Based on Prefixes rather than classes). Classful method categorizes IP addresses into
five classes (A, B, C, D, and E), each defined by the first few bits of the address and serving
specific ranges of purposes. The functionality of classful networking also extended to ease of
configuration. Network administrators could set up networks with default subnet masks without
the need for detailed subnetting strategies, which was particularly beneficial in less complex
networking environments.

IPV4 Address

An IPv4 address is a unique number assigned to every device that connects to the internet or a
computer network. It’s like a home address for your computer, smartphone, or any other device,
allowing it to communicate with other devices.

Format: An IPv4 address is written as four numbers separated by periods, like this:
192.168.1.1. Each number can range from 0 to 255.
The IPv4 address is divided into two parts: NID (Network ID) = 8bit, and HID (Host ID) =
24bit. So there are 28 which is 256 total networks created and 224 which is 16M Host per
network.
Purpose: The main purpose of an IPv4 address is to identify devices on a network and
ensure that data sent from one device reaches the correct destination.
Example: When you type a website address into your browser, your device uses the IPv4
address to find and connect to the server where the website is hosted.

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There are two notations in which the IP address is written, dotted decimal and
hexadecimal notation.

Dotted Decimal Notation

Some points to be noted about dotted decimal notation:

The value of any segment (byte) is between 0 and 255 (both included).
No zeroes preceding the value in any segment (054 is wrong, 54 is correct).

Dotted Decimal Notation

Hexadecimal Notation

Need For Classful Addressing

Classful addressing provided a straightforward method to allocate and manage IP addresses
based on fixed classes, simplifying the administrative burden associated with IP address
distribution.

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Network equipment of the time, such as routers, could be more easily programmed to handle
a limited number of fixed classes, speeding up the routing process because the class of an
address could be quickly identified from its first few bits.

While it did have limitations, classful addressing allowed for scaling of networks within the
bounds of each class size. Larger networks could use a Class A or B address, and smaller
networks could operate efficiently within a Class C subnet.

By standardizing address ranges, classful addressing facilitated the implementation of

uniform network protocols, which was important for the interoperability of network devices
across different networks and platforms.

Classful addressing was a cost-effective solution that supported the early expansion of
the Internet by avoiding the need for complex subnetting schemes that require additional
computing resources and more sophisticated network management tools.

Classes of IP Addressing
The 32-bit IP address is divided into five sub-classes. These are given below:

Class A
Class B
Class C
Class D
Class E

Each of these classes has a valid range of IP addresses. Classes D and E are reserved for
multicast and experimental purposes respectively. The order of bits in the first octet determines
the classes of the IP address.

The class of IP address is used to determine the bits used for network ID and host ID and the
number of total networks and hosts possible in that particular class. Each ISP or network
administrator assigns an IP address to each device that is connected to its network.

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Classful Addressing

Note:

IP addresses are globally managed by Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and
Regional Internet Registries (RIR).
While finding the total number of host IP addresses, 2 IP addresses are not counted and are
therefore, decreased from the total count because the first IP address of any network is the
network number and whereas the last IP address is reserved for broadcast IP.

Occupation of The Address Space In Classful Addressing

Class A

IP addresses belonging to class A are assigned to the networks that contain a large number of
hosts.

The network ID is 8 bits long.

The host ID is 24 bits long.

The higher-order bit of the first octet in class A is always set to 0. The remaining 7 bits in the
first octet are used to determine network ID. The 24 bits of host ID are used to determine the
host in any network. The default subnet mask for Class A is 255.x.x.x. Therefore, class A has a
total of:

224 – 2 = 16,777,214 host ID

IP addresses belonging to class A ranges from 0.0.0.0 – 127.255.255.255.

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Class A

Class B

IP address belonging to class B is assigned to networks that range from medium-sized to large-
sized networks.

The network ID is 16 bits long.

The host ID is 16 bits long.

The higher-order bits of the first octet of IP addresses of class B are always set to 10. The
remaining 14 bits are used to determine the network ID. The 16 bits of host ID are used to
determine the host in any network. The default subnet mask for class B is 255.255.x.x. Class B
has a total of:

214 = 16384 network address

216 – 2 = 65534 host address

IP addresses belonging to class B ranges from 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255.

Class B

Class C

IP addresses belonging to class C are assigned to small-sized networks.

The network ID is 24 bits long.

The host ID is 8 bits long.

The higher-order bits of the first octet of IP addresses of class C is always set to 110. The
remaining 21 bits are used to determine the network ID. The 8 bits of host ID are used to
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determine the host in any network. The default subnet mask for class C is 255.255.255.x. Class
C has a total of:

221 = 2097152 network address

28 – 2 = 254 host address

IP addresses belonging to class C range from 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.255.

Class C

Class D

IP address belonging to class D is reserved for multi-casting. The higher-order bits of the first
octet of IP addresses belonging to class D is always set to 1110. The remaining bits are for the
address that interested hosts recognize.

Class D does not possess any subnet mask. IP addresses belonging to class D range from
224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255.

Class D

Class E

IP addresses belonging to class E are reserved for experimental and research purposes. IP
addresses of class E range from 240.0.0.0 – 255.255.255.255. This class doesn’t have any
subnet mask. The higher-order bits of the first octet of class E are always set to 1111.

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Class E

Range of Special IP Addresses

169.254.0.0 – 169.254.0.16 : Link-local addresses

127.0.0.0 – 127.255.255.255 : Loop-back addresses
0.0.0.0 – 0.0.0.8: used to communicate within the current network.

Rules for Assigning Host ID

Host IDs are used to identify a host within a network. The host ID is assigned based on the
following rules:

Within any network, the host ID must be unique to that network.

A host ID in which all bits are set to 0 cannot be assigned because this host ID is used to
represent the network ID of the IP address.
Host ID in which all bits are set to 1 cannot be assigned because this host ID is reserved as a
broadcast address to send packets to all the hosts present on that particular network.

Rules for Assigning Network ID

Hosts that are located on the same physical network are identified by the network ID, as all host
on the same physical network is assigned the same network ID. The network ID is assigned
based on the following rules:

The network ID cannot start with 127 because 127 belongs to the class A address and is
reserved for internal loopback functions.
All bits of network ID set to 1 are reserved for use as an IP broadcast address and therefore,
cannot be used.
All bits of network ID set to 0 are used to denote a specific host on the local network and are
not routed and therefore, aren’t used.

Structure of Classful Addressing

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In the above table No. of networks for class A should be 127. (Network ID with all 0 s is not
considered)

Problems With Classful Addressing

The problem with this classful addressing method is that millions of class A addresses are
wasted, many of the class B addresses are wasted, whereas, the number of addresses available in
class C is so small that it cannot cater to the needs of organizations. Class D addresses are used
for multicast routing and are therefore available as a single block only. Class E addresses are
reserved.

Since there are these problems, Classful networking was replaced by Classless Inter-Domain
Routing (CIDR) in 1993. We will be discussing Classless addressing in the next post.

The network ID is 24 bits long.

The host ID is 8 bits long.
221 = 2097152 network address
28 – 2 = 254 host address
Within any network, the host ID must be unique to that network.
Host ID in which all bits are set to 0 cannot be assigned because this host ID is used to
represent the network ID of the IP address.
Host ID in which all bits are set to 1 cannot be assigned because this host ID is reserved as a
broadcast address to send packets to all the hosts present on that particular network.
The network ID cannot start with 127 because 127 belongs to the class A address and is
reserved for internal loopback functions.
All bits of network ID set to 1 are reserved for use as an IP broadcast address and therefore,
cannot be used.
All bits of network ID set to 0 are used to denote a specific host on the local network and are
not routed and therefore, aren’t used.
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Classful and Classless Addressing

Here is the main difference between Classful and Classless Addressing:

Parameter Classful Addressing Classless Addressing

Classless addressing came to

In Classful addressing IP addresses replace the classful addressing
Basics are allocated according to the classes- and to handle the issue of
A to E. rapid exhaustion of IP
addresses.

Practical It is less practical. It is more practical.

Network ID and The changes in the Network ID and There is no such restriction of
Host ID Host ID depend on the class. class in classless addressing.

It does not support the Variable It supports the Variable Length

VLSM
Length Subnet Mask (VLSM). Subnet Mask (VLSM).

Classful addressing requires more It requires less bandwidth.

bandwidth. As a result, it becomes Thus, fast and less expensive
Bandwidth
slower and more expensive as as compared to classful
compared to classless addressing. addressing.

It does not support Classless Inter- It supports Classless Inter-

CIDR
Domain Routing (CIDR). Domain Routing (CIDR).

Updates Regular or periodic updates Triggered Updates

Troubleshooting and problem

Troubleshooting detection are easy than classless
It is not as easy compared to
and Problem addressing because of the division of
classful addressing.
detection network, host and subnet parts in the
address.

Network
Host
Division of Address Host
Subnet
Subnet

Conclusion
Classful IP addressing, with its categorization into classes like A, B, and C, was a fundamental
method in early networking. It organized IP addresses based on network size but faced

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limitations in flexibility and efficient use of address space. The development of CIDR addressed
these issues by allowing more precise control over subnetting and optimizing address allocation.

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