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

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 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.

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).

Aptitude Engineering Mathematics Discrete Mathematics Operating System DBMS Compu

Dotted Decimal Notation

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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.

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

Related searches
IP Address Classes (A, B, C, D, E) Ip Address Scheme for Small Network

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.

Classful Addressing

Note:
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 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.

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 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 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 Open In App

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.

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.
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 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

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
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 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.

Classful and Classless Addressing

Here is the main difference between Classful and Classless Addressing:

Parameter Classful Addressing Classless

Addressing

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

Practical It is less practical. It is more practical.

The changes in the Network There is no such

Network ID and
ID and Host ID depend on the restriction of class in
Host ID
class. classless addressing.

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 Parameter Classful Addressing Classless
Addressing

It does not support the It supports the

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

Classful addressing requires It requires less

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

It supports Classless
It does not support Classless
CIDR Inter-Domain Routing
Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR).
(CIDR).

Updates Regular or periodic updates Triggered Updates

Troubleshooting and problem

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

Network
Division of Host
Host
Address 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 limitations
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 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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