‫Internet protocol version four IPv4 is one of the core protocols of standards based networking methods
‫on the internet.
‫It was described in IETF publication RF seven, nine one in 1981, and it was the first version deployed
‫for production in the ARPANET in 1983.
‫It's still roots most internet traffic today, despite the ongoing deployment of the successor protocol
‫IPv6.
‫With IPv4, each address consists of four octet.
‫Arquette stands for eight digit binary numbers, so an IPv4 address is 32 bits in total, so that means
‫we can theoretically address two to the power of 32 devices with IPv4.
‫So that means the address space of IPv4 is about four point three billion.
‫Sounds like it's a big number, right?
‫IPv4 is represented by the decimal equivalent of four octet separated by dots.
‫The biggest number one can make with eight binary digits is due to the power of eight minus one.
‫That means 255.
‫So each octet can be any number from zero to 255.
‫Now also, there are special meanings associated with two different ending numbers in general, the
‫last number of zero stands for the network.
‫Let's call that the base address and a last number of 255 stands for all hosts on that network called
‫the broadcast address.
‫Computers that are on the same local network share three of the four numbers.
‫A computer can be on more than one network, so it can also have several names.