Advertisement
Appendix B
TCP/IP Routing
This Appendix provides information on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP). TCP/IP is the name of communications protocols used to connect computers and data
communications equipment into computer networks.
IP Addressing
Because TCP/IP networks are used so widely across the world, they need a unique addressing
structure to make sure that transmitted data reaches the correct destination. The Internet Protocol
uses a 32 bit address structure that is divided into two parts.
The first part of the address identifies the network and the second part identifies the host node or
station on the network. To make the addresses easier to understand, the address is usually written
in dotted decimal notation. For example, the address: 11000011.00100010.00001100.00000111 is
usually written as 195.34.12.7, which is easier to remember and easier to enter into your computer.
There are five classes of IP addresses. The different address classes have different ways of
determining the network and host sections of the address, allowing for different numbers of hosts
on a network. Each address type begins with a unique bit pattern, which is used by the TCP/IP
software to identify the address class. Once the address class has been determined, the software
can correctly identify the host section of the address. The three main address classes are illustrated
in
Figure B-1
and show the network and host sections of the address for each address type.
TCP/IP Routing
B-1
Advertisement
Troubleshooting
