IP Addresses Networks and Subnets
Introduction to Networking
Before you start to implement your servers, you will need to understand the type of networks available. I wanted to do this because I really want you to understand the importance of deploying networks. You may someday provide high-speed Internet access at a lower price compared to those big companies that only think about themselves. If someday you can achieve this, I would be happy to hear about it.
The Internet was established in the early 1980s, and in the mid 1990s it went through major changes. As the World Wide Web became popular, companies and individuals were able to offer virtual storefronts, and a new way of doing business began. The industry grew, and new web sites were contributing to growth. The Internet backbone itself soon would face a major scaling problem and would be unable to provide continued and uninterrupted services.
Engineers realized that the current address space IP version 4 would become exhausted and unable to route new networks. The IPv4 defined a 32-bit address, which means that there are only 2 to the 32 power (4,294,967,296) address available. You might think that this is a big number, but can you imagine how many new connections are activated each day. Eventually it would become exhausted because the addresses were not allocated efficiently.
Because of this shortage and the current class networks did not allow the addressing space to be used at its maximum potential; the IETF (Internet Electronic Task Force) expressed concerns and initiated talk for a new solution. Due to this situation, they implemented the new IPV6 also known as IPng; which is what routers now use in central backbones to route all information we send and request through the Internet.
IP Addressing and Class
In September 1981, IP addressing was standardized and required that each host on the Internet would have a unique 32-bit network number and routers connected to multiple networks would have a unique IP address for each interface. This would create a two level hierarchy structured network.
Fig 8.1 Subnet mask | IP Address
As you can see this level is now known as Prefix and Host.
- All hosts (individual computers) in the network share the prefix (subnet mask).
- The host (IP address) is unique and can't be shared. If you repeat an IP address within the network, it will cause conflict.