What is that IP?
We come across such word all the time?
IP is an abbreviated as Internet Protocol. It is used as an identifier of your computer.
How do you access internet ?
Every computer that is connected to the Internet is part of a network.. For example, you may use a modem and dial a local number to connect to an Internet Service Provider(ISP). At work, you may be part of a local area network ( LAN ), but you most likely still connect to the Internet using an ISP that your company has contracted with. When you connect to your ISP, you become part of their network. The ISP may then connect to a larger network and become part of their network. The Internet is simply a network of networks. And your computer is identified and only by its IP address .
For example, When you are using facebook you have an option to check ‘active sessions’ and when you log in from some other place we get notified. Imagine What if someone else logon your account? The ip address of the computer gets automatically copied to the fb. And that IP address helps to trace the location from where the X access. So this is how IP supports Security.
What happens actually there in both the cases?
The IP address gets stored to the internet automatically .It is as same as the address for our home. We have pincode and this makes the postal easier .The same way this IP address , is something each computer has And there is an unique ip address for each one.
IP address consists only of numbers.To know your ip address you can Click open command prompt or type in cmd in search window then type ipconfig and then press enter. You will get to know the ip address. As you see in the picture.
The IP address first designed is termed as IPv4. This IPv4 uses 32 binary bits to create a single unique address on the network. An IPv4 address is expressed by four numbers separated by dots. Each number is the decimal (base-10) representation for an eight-digit binary (base-2) number, also called an octet. For example: 216.25.16.137 . We already know computer uses only binary and it can read only binary 0’s and 1’s . IPv4 addresses represent four eight-digit binary numbers. That means that each number could be 00000000 to 11111111 in binary, or 0 to 255 in decimal (base-10). In other words, 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255
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However, some numbers in that range are reserved for specific purposes on TCP/IP networks. These reservations are recognized by the authority on TCP/IP addressing. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) reserves and manages all the IP address. There can never be two same ip address for different networks. This group ensures and manages the unique ip for each network.
Four specific reservations include the following:
•0.0.0.0 -- This represents the default network use to get connected to a TCP/IP network.
•255.255.255.255 -- This address is allotted for network broadcasts, or messages that should go to all computers on the network.
•127.0.0.1 -- This is called the loopback address, meaning your computer's way of identifying itself, whether it has an assigned IP address or not
•169.254.0.1 to 169.254.255.254 -- This is the Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) range of addresses assigned automatically when a computer's unsuccessful getting an address from a DHCP server.
The other IP address reservations are for subnet classes.
What is a subnet?
A subnet is a smaller network of computers connected to a larger network through a router. Or Each network is subdivided into subnets. The subnet can have its own address system so computers on the same subnet can communicate quickly without sending data across the larger network. This is to enhance speed and gets connected easier .If a problem occurs it would be easier to look after and check a small subnet than to look over huge networks
How does your computer get its IP address?
An IP address can be either dynamic or static. A static address is one that you configure yourself by editing your computer's network settings. This type of address is rare, and it can create network issues if you use it without a good understanding of TCP/IP. Dynamic addresses are the most common .ok.
Who assigns these dynamic IP addreses?
There’s something called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), a service running on the network. DHCP typically runs on network hardware such as routers or dedicated DHCP servers.
Dynamic IP addresses are issued using a leasing system, meaning that the IP address is only active for a limited time. However each one promises a unique address. If the lease expires, the computer will automatically request a new lease. Sometimes, this means the computer will get a new IP address, too,
especially if the computer was unplugged from the network between leases. This process is usually transparent to the user unless the computer warns about an IP address conflict on the network (two computers with the same IP address). An address conflict is rare, and today's technology typically fixes the
problem automatically.
Public IP: There is something called public ip. This public ip is the main one to connect all computers that are connected to the internet. This is managed by NIC (Network Information Center). There are five network classes. A,B,C,D,and E are the five classes.
Class A : 17 ,000million networks can be connected to this
Class B : 16,000 million and in each each network 64000 computers can be connected.
Class C : 21 million networks. And this is widely used Each network can have 254 computers connected .
Class D: is for video –audio conferencing purposes.
Class E: for research purposes. [Before IPv6, the Internet was filled with debate about whether the IANA should release Class E for general use]
Each network is subdivided into subnets. This is to enhance speed and gets connected easier. If a problem occurs it would be easier to look after and check a small subnet than to look over huge networks.The other IP address reservations are for subnet classes. A subnet is a smaller network of computers connected to a larger network through a router. The subnet can have its own address system so computers on the same subnet can communicate quickly without sending data across the larger network. A router on a TCP/IP network, including the Internet, is configured to recognize one or more subnets and route network traffic appropriately.
Internet Addresses and Subnets
The following is an example of a subnet IP address you might have on your computer at home if you're using a router (wireless or wired) between your ISP
Connection and your computer:
• IP address: 192.168.1.102
• Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
• Twenty-four bits (three octets) reserved for network identity
• Eight bits (one octet) reserved for nodes
• Subnet identity based on subnet mask (first address): 192.168.1.0
• The reserved broadcast address for the subnet (last address): 192.168.1.255
• Example addresses on the same network: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.103
• Example addresses not on the same network: 192.168.2.1, 192.168.2.103
Besides reserving IP addresses, the IANA is also responsible for assigning blocks of IP addresses to certain entities, usually commercial or government organizations. Your Internet service provider (ISP) may be one of these entities, or it may be part of a larger block under the control of one of those entities. In order for you to connect to the Internet, your ISP will assign you one of these addresses. You can see a full list of IANA assignments and reservations for
IPv4 addresses here.If you only connect one computer to the Internet, that computer can use the address from your ISP. Many homes today, though, use routers to share a single Internet connection between multiple computers. Wireless routers have become especially popular in recent years, avoiding the need to run network cables all over the home.If you use a router to share an Internet connection, the router gets the IP address issued directly from the ISP. Then, it creates and manages a subnet for all the computers connected to that router. If your computer's address falls into one of the reserved subnet ranges listed earlier, you're going through a router rather than connecting directly to the Internet.
IP addresses on a subnet have two parts:network and node. The network part identifies the subnet itself. The node, also called the host, is an individual piece of computer equipment connected to the network and requiring a unique address.Each computer knows how to separate the two parts of the IP address by using a subnet mask. A subnet mask looks somewhat like an IP address, but it's actually just a filter used to determine which part of an IP address designates the network and node.A subnet mask consists of a series of 1 bits followed by a series of 0 bits. The 1 bits indicate those that should mask the network bits in the IP address, revealing only those that identify a unique node on that network.
Subnet mask numbers is mainly composed of three types
255.0.0.0
255.255.0.0
255.255.255.0
The ip of these small groups called subnets are easily identified by the computer when translated to binary.
255.0.0.0.0 = 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000 = eight bits for networks, 24 bits for nodes
255.255.0.0 = 11111111.11111111.00000000.00000000 = 16 bits for networks, 16 bits for nodes
255.255.255.0 = 11111111. 11111111.11111111.00000000 = 24 bits for networks, eight bits for nodes
Those who set up large networks determine what subnet mask works best based on the number of desired subnets or nodes. For more subnets, use more bits for the network; for more nodes per subnet, use more bits for the nodes. This may mean using non-standard mask values. For instance, if you want to use 10 bits for networks and 22 for nodes, your subnet mask value would require using 11000000 in the second octet, resulting in a subnet mask value of 255.192.0.0.
Another important thing to note about IP addresses in a subnet is that the first and last addresses are reserved. The first address identifies the subnet itself, and the last address identifies the broadcast address for systems on that subnet as shown in the figure
The increasing number of computers day by day made the ip addresses insufficient. Only 430 crore distinct ip addresses could be taken from IPV4 which supports 32 bitstream. But In 1995 IPV6 emerged which uses 128 bits!And from 2000 its on use. IPv6 uses 128 binary bits to create a single unique address on the network. An IPv6 address is expressed by eight groups of hexadecimal (base-16) numbers separated by colons, as in 2001:cdba:0000:0000:0000:0000:3257:9652. Groups of numbers that contain all zeros are
often omitted to save space, leaving a colon separator to mark the gap (as in 2001:cdba::3257:9652)..
So This is how ,Without this IP address internet isn’t that easier.
E-mails, Chats,search everything are possible only due to this IP!!
For even more information on IP address u can head on to
