What is an IP Address?
An Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) is a number divided by 3 periods, 192.168.1.1 is an example. Every device that is connected to a computer network has an IP address which serves two main purposes, to identify the network and identify the device itself.
Versions of IP Addresses
IPv4 Address
IPv4 was the first version of IP Address, which has been in use since 1933.
Features of an IPv4 Address
- IPv4 addresses use 32 bits
- Number of possible IP addresses in IPv4
- 2^32 = 4,294,967,296 addresses
- Uses the dotted decimal notation
- 192.168.1.1
Parts of an IPv4 Address
- Network identifier
- Host identifier