How is the network portion and the host portion of an IP address identified? This is a frequently asked question. Many people wonder why they should care how an IP address operates?
The reason is that knowledge of IP is so essential when attempting to fix network problems, or a certain device can’t connect or need advanced setup like game server storage or means server connection so that others can connect over the web. In these circumstances, you necessitate to comprehend the IP.
When it is necessary to use an IP address, users simply follow the instructions to fill it in the appropriate section. However, if you want to dig deeper into the meaning and workings of these numbers, read this article.
How is the IP address Defined?
IP is a unique address that electronic devices are using nowadays to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network using the Internet protocol. In other words, IP is a computer’s address to help them transfer information back and forth, avoiding internet information loss when joining the system.
IP addresses are usually written in the form of four groups of decimals, separated by a dot, for example, 165.142.0.10. Each number varies from 0 to 255. So the entire IP address series runs from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.
Every single number is just able to achieve 255 because it’s a binary eight-digit number (sometimes it is named an octet). In an octet section, the number 255 would be 11111111 and the zero would be 00000000, which is the all-out number the octet can reach.
Computers perform with twofold forms, but people find it more accessible to deal with decimal systems. However, identifying that the IP address is a dualistic number help you understand the way it operates.
How Many Types of IP Addresses are There?
Depending on the purpose of use, IP addresses are classified into Public IP, Private IP, Static IP, and Dynamic IP.
Public IP
Public IP is often used inside a network. It’s like a system that households use to access the internet. It acts as a way for devices to communicate with routers and other devices in the private network. Public IP can be set up manually or assigned automatically by your router.
Private IP
It is used outside of the network and specified by the Internet service provider. This is the primary address that your home or business network uses to communicate with other network-connected devices or the Internet.
Private IP provides access to home devices, for example, to log on to the ISP. It allows home-based equipment to perform tasks such as accessing websites and communicating directly with other users’ computers.
Dynamic IP
Every time you restart your internet modem, you will be given a new IP from your supplier. It’s called Dynamic IP.
Static IP
In contrast to Dynamic IP, no matter how many times you start an internet modem, you can only use a single IP address. It’s called Static IP.
Each type of IP address above can be either IPv4 or IPv6.
What are the Differences Between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4
IPv4 displays addresses as 32-bit strings of numbers written in decimal format, like 207.241.148.80 or 192.168.1.1. IPv4 is represented as 32 binary bits to provide more than 4 billion different IP addresses. It sounds like a lot, but now the number of IPv4 addresses is running out. Therefore, the world has been switching to IPv6 to solve the lack of IP address problems.
IPv6
IPv6 has 128 binary bits, providing more than 340 trillion addresses. This is an endless number that humans cannot use up. Hence, don’t worry too much while using IP addresses.
Because there are trillions of IPv6 addresses, they are written in hexadecimal as 3ffe: 1900: 4545: 3: 200: f8ff: fe21: 67cf.
How is the Network Portion and the Host Portion of an IP Address Identified?
An IP address is divided into two parts:
Network ID
It includes the first three sets of numbers. Network ID is used to identify the network that devices are connecting to. For example, with the address 165.142.0.10, the Network ID is 165.142.0., which means that all devices have the same network layer 165.142.0. will communicate with each other. In other words, IP addresses outside the above network will not share with the same addresses on that network.
Host ID
It is the last set of numbers used to determine the device’s exact address. For example, with 165.142.0.10 address, the Host ID is 10. In a network 165.142.0., there will be from 1 to 254 Host ID sets, corresponding to the number of devices connecting to.
So, how does the device determine which part of the IP address is the network ID and the Host ID? For that reason, technology inventors use a second number you’ll always see connected to IP address. That number is called the subnet mask.
Each IP address comes with a component called a Subnet mask. The reason is that the TCP/IP protocol requires if two IP addresses want to work directly together, they must share the same network ID.
Subnet mask
The subnet mask is a set of 32 bits similar to an IP address but is characterized by two regions, the left is full of bits 1, and the right is all bits 0. So, corresponding to the 1-bit area of the Subnet mask is called the Network area of that address, the 0-bit zone is called the Host ID.
In short, the Subnet Mask specifies the network layer of an IP address. In order for two devices to communicate with each other, it is necessary to configure the same Subnet Mask.
How does the Device Get the IP Address?
Your device will receive IP by automatically assigned an IP address. There are two kinds of IP assigning address: static IP and dynamic IP.
Dynamic IP address is attached automatically when any tool links to the web systems. A large number of webs today, consisting of residence networks, use DHCP to make it, which is formulated in the routing.
When any device joins the system, it transfers information asking for an IP address. The DHCP intercepts this information and then attaches the IP address for that equipment from a collection of open IP addresses.
A number of private IP addresses that the routing will apply for this aim. It is adopted based on the routing producer or the settings the user has set. Private IP varieties combine
- 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255: Whether you use Comcast / Xfinity internet service, the router they provide will assign an address in this scale. Some different Internet service givers additionally apply private addresses on their routings like Apple.
- 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255: Most commercial routers are set up to assign IP addresses in this range.
- 172.16.0.0 – 172.16.255.255: Commercial vendors rarely use this range.
- 169.254.0.0 – 169.254.255.255: It is a particular range used by Automatic Private IP Addressing. In case that the computers are established to accept an IP address spontaneously, but cannot discover the DHCP server, they will assign themselves to a location in this scale.
The dynamic IP address is changeable. The DHCP server leases IP addresses for the equipment, and if the period is up, the DHCP server must renovate the tenancy. Sometimes it will get a different IP from the range of addresses the server can stipulate.
However, sometimes you desire to utilize an immutable IP address. In such situations, you can attach a static IP address to certain tools. Some ways to do this are configuring the device manually by utilizing static IP addresses.
Or you can get around this problem by configuring your routing to attach static IP addresses to specific tools that are IP registered by a DHCP server. With this approach, the IP address is never changeable and does not affect the manner of DHCP.
In Short
How is the network portion and the host portion of an IP address identified? We make sure that after reading this article, you have got your answer.
Usually, we don’t pay much attention to this issue. However, knowing how to distinguish the network portion and the host portion of an IP address is advantageous. It will be easy for you to solve non-tech-related in-depth problems yourself without needing other people’s support.
