An IP address is a unique number that identifies a device on a network. IP stands for Internet Protocol, which defines the format for sending data over the internet or networks. IP addresses contain location information and allow devices to communicate by identifying the destination address. They are divided into a network and host part, and can be represented in decimal or binary notation. IPv4 is currently used, while IPv6 is an upcoming replacement that improves on IPv4. IP addresses can be public, assigned by ISPs, or private for internal networks.

1. WHAT IS AN IP ADDRESS?
An IP address is a unique address that
identifies a device on the internet or a local
network.
IP stands for "Internet Protocol," which is the
set of rules governing the format of data sent
via the internet or local network.
IP addresses are the identifier that allows
information to be sent between devices on a
network: they contain location information and
make devices accessible for communication.

2. WHAT IS AN IP ADDRESS?
In simplified language, an IP address is just like a telephone number. When a
call is made over a telephone, the phone number of the other person is been
dialed and that person receives the call from your telephone number. Basically,
the phone call is between phone numbers.
In the same way, when a device wants to communicate using IP
communication, it sends the data to the remote device's IP address. Every
device needs to have an IP address to send and receive data over an IP
network

3. WHAT IS AN IP ADDRESS?
An IP address consists of four numbers, each number contains one to three
digits, with a single dot (.) separates each number or set of digits.
IP Address is divided into two parts:
Network address : identifies the physical network to which the computer is
attached.
Host address : identifies the individual computer on the network.

4. WHAT IS AN IP ADDRESS?
The network part and host part of the IP Address is identified by the
subnetmask. Another way of indicating this information is to use a prefix.
Table shows some examples of the different ways used to represent a prefix and subnet mask
IP Address/Prefix Subnet Mask in Decimal Subnet Mask in Binary
192.168.10.0/24 255.255.255.0 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000
172.16.0.0/16 255.255.0.0 11111111.11111111.00000000.00000000
10.1.1.0/27 255.255.255.224 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000

5. TYPES OF INTERNET PROTOCOL
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
currently used version of Internet Protocol.
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
the upcoming replacement for IPv4. It contains some major improvements and
new features.

6. Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
IPv4 Address Format (Dotted-decimal Notation)

7. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
IPv6 Address Format (Colon Hexadecimal Notation)

8. CLASSES OF IP ADDRESSES
Classful IP Addressing
The classful addressing, groups the IP address into specific sizes called class
A, class B, class C, class D and class E.
Classless IP Addressing
The classless addressing also called Classless Inter-Domain Routing
(CIDR), is an improved IP addressing system. It increases the effectiveness of
IP address allocation because of the absence of class distribution.

9. Classful IP Addressing
 The 32-bit IP address is divided into five sub-classes. These are:
Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D and Class E
 Each of these classes has a valid range of IP addresses. The first octet
determines the classes of the IP address.
 Classes D and E are reserved for multicast and experimental purposes
respectively.
 The IPv4 address is divided into two parts:
• Network ID
• Host ID
 The class of IP address determines the number of total networks and hosts
possible in that particular class.

10. Classful IP Addressing

11. Classful IP Addressing
IP Header Classes
Class SubNetwork Mask Number of IP
networks
Number of IP
addresses
per network
Range
A 255.0.0.0 (/8) 128 16,777,216 0.0.0.0 – 127.255.255.255
B 255.255.0.0 (/16) 16,384 65,536 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255
C 255.255.255.0 (/24) 2,097,152 256 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.255
D Multicast 224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255
E Reserved (Not used) 240.0.0.0 – 255.255.255.255

12. TYPES OF IP ADDRESSES
 IP addresses can be classified into two types: public and private.
 Public IP address: A public IP address is assigned to a device by an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) and is unique across the entire internet. It allows
devices to communicate with other devices and servers on the internet.
Public IP addresses are routable and accessible from anywhere on the
internet.
 Private IP address: A private IP address is used within a local network, such
as a home or office network. These addresses are assigned by a network
administrator and are not unique globally. Private IP addresses are not
accessible directly from the internet and are typically used for internal
communication between devices within the same network.

13. Private IP Address
Private IP addresses are further divided into different ranges based on the
number of devices they can support. The most commonly used private IP
address ranges are:
• Class A: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
• Class B: 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
• Class C: 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

14. Public IP Address
A public IP address is an address that is assigned to a device by an
Internet Service Provider (ISP) and is unique across the entire internet. It
is used to identify and communicate with devices over the internet.