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How Does An IP Address Work

An IP address connects devices on a network, allowing them to communicate by identifying each device with a unique numerical label. There are two main versions of IP addresses: IPv4, which is 32-bit and has a limited address space, and IPv6, which is 128-bit and can accommodate a vastly larger number of devices. The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is facilitated through methods like Dual Stack, Tunneling, and Translation to ensure compatibility between the two protocols.

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16 views4 pages

How Does An IP Address Work

An IP address connects devices on a network, allowing them to communicate by identifying each device with a unique numerical label. There are two main versions of IP addresses: IPv4, which is 32-bit and has a limited address space, and IPv6, which is 128-bit and can accommodate a vastly larger number of devices. The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is facilitated through methods like Dual Stack, Tunneling, and Translation to ensure compatibility between the two protocols.

Uploaded by

abhishekkudale145
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How does an IP address work?

The main function of an IP address is to connect a computer device to other computer devices
on the connected network.
suppose you enter a website. Now after entering that website, you will need to access various
data and information on that site. In that case, your free computer device will have to be
connected to an IP server. And the IP address does the work of connecting your computer to a
server. These IP addresses basically help a local computer device to connect to all other
computer devices through a common network. Because these IP addresses are basically
activated in a common network. As a result, one device can find another device.

IP Addresses Work
The functioning of IP addresses involves several key processes:
 Assignment: When a device connects to a network, it is assigned an IP address by a
server using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). This address can be static
(permanently assigned) or dynamic (temporarily assigned).
 Data Packet Creation: When a device sends data, it is divided into packets. Each
packet contains a header with the source IP address (the sender's address) and the
destination IP address (the intended recipient's address).
 Routing Mechanism: Routers analyze the destination IP address in the packet header
and determine the most efficient route for delivering the packet. This process involves
multiple routers across the internet, each forwarding the packet closer to its destination.
 Receiving Data: When the data packets reach the destination device, the receiving
device reassembles the packets into the original message, allowing for seamless
communication.

Why do we use IP (Internet Protocol) Address?

IP Address (Internet Protocol) is a numerical label. It is assigned to each device in a computer


network. Internet Protocol (IP) Address is used to communicate with each computer through
the network.
In a word, IP Address is the Logical Identifier of a Network Node or Host connection. Each
Host in an IP Network is identified with a specific number. This number is IP (Internet
Protocol). IP (Internet Protocol) is 32 Bit. It can be divided into 4 parts of 8 Bits.
Classification of IP Address (Internet Protocol):
According to the version, IP address is divided into 2 parts. Namely:-
 IPv4 (IP Version 4)
 IPv6 (IP Version 6)

IP Version 4
The full form of IPv4 is Internet Protocol Version 4. That is, this is the 4th version of the
Internet Protocol. The main protocol of the Standard Internetworking system is IPv4. The first
version of IP version 4 or IPv4 was created by ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects
Agency Network) in 1983. It is a 32-bit address space. Through this, it is possible to use a
minimum of 5 billion addresses. IP version 4 is divided into 4 octets. Each part has 8 bits.
According to network researchers, IPv4 is now almost extinct. The networks we are currently
using on our phones and computers are IPv4 networks. For example –

IPv4 (most common):


Example: 192.168.1.10
Format: Four numbers (0–255), separated by dots
IPv4 Addressing
IP Address Bits Prefix Subnet Mask
8 3 /29 255.255.255.248
16 4 /28 255.255.255.240
32 5 /27 255.255.255.224
64 6 /26 255.255.255.192
128 7 /25 255.255.255.128

IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4):


 Format: 32-bit address, written as four decimal numbers separated by dots (e.g.,
192.168.1.1).
 Range: 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.
 Total Addresses: ~4.3 billion (2³²).
 Structure: Divided into a network portion and a host portion, determined by a subnet
mask (e.g., 255.255.255.0).
 Limitations: Due to the limited number of addresses, IPv4 is being supplemented by
IPv6.

IP Version 6
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) created a new version of IP addresses. Its
name is IPv6. The full form of IPv6 is Internet Protocol Version 6. IPv6 is a space of 128 bits.
It can accommodate about 340 Undecillion (Undecillion is 340 followed by 36 0s). Currently,
IPv6 has been used in many places. As a result of the conversion from IPv4 to IPv6, both
protocols are currently being used on the Internet. And to make this task easier, the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) has created several systems. These are-
Dual Stack
Tunneling
Translation
Dual Stack
The method in which IPv4 and IPv6 protocols can be used simultaneously in a network is called
Dual Stack.

Tunneling
The method in which IPv6 packets can move through an IPv4 network is called Tunneling.

Translation
In this method, a translation method called NAT64 is used for communication between devices
with an IPv4 and IPv6 protocol.

In NAT64, packets are translated from an IPv4 address to an IPv6 address and from an IPv6
address to an IPv4 address.

IPv6 (newer format):


Example: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
Supports way more devices (used as IPv4 runs out)

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6):


 Format: 128-bit address, written as eight groups of hexadecimal numbers
separated by colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
 Total Addresses: ~340 undecillion (2¹²⁸), effectively unlimited for practical
purposes.
 Features: Designed to replace IPv4, supports more devices, and includes
simplified packet headers for efficient routing.
 Adoption: Gradually increasing as IPv4 addresses are exhausted.

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