The

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION IV-A CALABARZON
Gate 2, Karangalan Village,  Cainta, Rizal

Information Sheet 1.1

Computer Systems Servicing Grade 10 – Week 7
IP Addressing 

An IP address is a number that is used to identify a device on the network. Each device on a network must
have a unique IP address to communicate with other network devices. Network devices are those that move data
across the network, including hubs, switches, and routers. On a LAN, each host (device that sends or receives
information on the network) and network device must have an IP address within the same network to be able to
communicate with each other. 
A person’s name and fingerprints usually do not change. They provide a label or address for the person’s
physical aspect—the body. A person’s mailing address, on the other hand, relates to where the person lives or picks
up mail. This address can change. On a host, the Media Access Control (MAC) address is assigned to the host
Network Interface Card (NIC) and is known as the physical address. The physical address remains the same
regardless of where the host is placed on the network in the same way that fingerprints remain with someone
regardless of where he or she goes. 
An IP address consists of a series of 32 binary bits (1s and 0s). It is very difficult for humans to read a
binary IP address. For this reason, the 32 bits are grouped into four 8-bit bytes called octets. An IP address, even in
this grouped format, is hard for humans to read, write, and remember. Therefore, each octet is presented as its
decimal value, separated by a decimal point or period. This format is called dotted-decimal notation. When a host is
configured with an IP address, it is entered as a dotted-decimal number, such as 192.168.1.5.

How do IP Addresses work

If you want to understand why a particular device is not connecting in the way you would expect or you
want to troubleshoot why your network may not be working, it helps understand how IP addresses work.
, by communicating using set guidelines to pass information. All devices find, send, and exchange
information with other connected devices using this protocol. By speaking the same language, any computer in any
location can talk to one another.

The use of IP addresses typically happens behind the scenes. The process works like this:
1. Your device indirectly connects to the internet by connecting at first to a network connected to the internet,
which then grants your device access to the internet.
2. When you are at  home, that network will probably be your Internet Service Provider (ISP). At work, it will
be your company network.
3. Your IP address is assigned to your device by your ISP.
4. Your internet activity goes through the ISP, and they route it back to you, using your IP address. Since they
are giving you access to the internet, it is their role to assign an IP address to your device.
5. However, your IP address can change. For example, turning your modem or router on or off can change it.
Or you can contact your ISP, and they can change it for you.
6. When you are out and about – for example, traveling – and you take your device with you, your home IP
address does not come with you. This is because you will be using another network (Wi-Fi at a hotel,
airport, or coffee shop, etc.) to access the internet and will be using a different (and temporary) IP address,
assigned to you by the ISP of the hotel, airport or coffee shop.
Five Classes of IP Address
IP Classes Purpose
Class A  Used for large networks, implemented by large companies and some countries 
Class B  Used for medium-sized networks, implemented by universities 
Class C  Used for small networks, implemented by ISPs for customer subscriptions 
Class D  Used for special use for multicasting 
Class E  Used for experimental testing 

Subnet Mask 
The subnet mask indicates the network portion of an IP address. Like the IP address, the subnet mask is a
dotted-decimal number.                                                                                                                                                                                  
sts within a LAN have the same subnet mask. The data below shows default subnet masks for usable IP addresses
that are mapped to the first three classes of IP addresses: 
 255.0.0.0: Class A, which indicates that the first octet of the IP address is the network portion ‘’’
 255.255.0.0: Class B, which indicates that the first two octets of the IP address are the network portion 
 255.255.255.0: Class C, which indicates that the first three octets of the IP address are the network
portion 3

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow exponentially, more devices connect online daily. There
has been fear that, at some point, addresses would just run out. This conjecture is starting to come true.
Have no fear; the Internet is not coming to an end. There is a solution to the problem of diminishing IPv4
addresses. We will provide information on how more addresses can be created, and outline the main issues that need
to be tackled to keep up with the growth of IoT by adopting IPv6.
We also examine how Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) vs. Internet Protocol 4 (IPv4) plays an
important role in the Internet’s future and evolution, and how the newer version of the IP is superior to older IPv4.
  
https://phoenixnap.com/blog/ipv4j-vs-ipv6

IP addresses standardize the way different machines interact with each other. They trade data packets,
which refer to encapsulated bits of data that play a crucial part in loading webpages, emails, instant messaging, and
other applications which involve data transfer.
Several components allow traffic to flow across the Internet. At the point of origin, data is packaged into an
envelope when the traffic starts. This process is referred to as a “datagram.” It is a packet of data and part of the
Internet Protocol or IP.
A full network stack is required to transport data across the Internet. The IP is just one part of that stack.
The stack can be brointo four layers, with the Application component at the top and the Data Link at the bottom.

IPv4
IPv4 or Internet Protocol Version 4 is ks. It is the fourth revision of the Internet protocol. It was
developed as a connectionless protocol for use in packet-switched layer networks like Ethernet. Its primary
responsibility is to provide logical connections between network devices, which includes providing identification for
every device.

IPv6
 Internet Protocol Version 6 or IPv6 is the newest version of Internet Protocol used for carrying data in
packets from one source to a destination via various networks. IPv6 is considered as an enhanced version of the
older IPv4 protocol, as it supports a significantly larger number of nodes than the latter.

Pros and Cons of using IPv6

IPv6 addresses have all the technical shortcomings present in IPv4. The difference is that it offers a 128 bit
or 16-byte address, making the address pool around 340 trillion trillion trillion (undecillion).
It’s significantly larger than the address size provided by IPv4 since it’s made up of eight groups of
characters, which are 16 bits long. The sheer size underlines why networks should adopt IPv6 sooner rather than
later. Yet making a move so far has been a tough sell. Network operators find working with IPv difference of ipv4
and ipv6
4 familiar and are probably using a ‘wait and see’ approach to decide how to handle their IP situation. They
might think they have enough IPv4 addresses for the near future. But sticking with IPv4 will get progressively
harder to do so.
An example of the advantage of IPv6 over IPv4 is not having to share an IP and getting a dedicated address
for your devices. Using IPv4 means a group of computers that want to share a single public IP will need to use a
NAT. Then to access one of these computers directly, you will need to set up complex configurations such as port
forwarding and firewall alterations. In comparison to IPv6, which has plenty of addresses to go around, IPv6
computers can be accessed publicly without additional configurations, saving resources.

References:
Computer Hardware Servicing –Grade 10 Learner’s Material
First Edition, 2014, pages 100-102
https://phoenixnap.com/blog/ipv4-vs-ipv6