IP Addresses
Computer Science: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 5.3.1
IP Addresses
Just as an address is essential for sending a letter in the post, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are used to identify where data packets need to be sent to and where they have come from.
IP addresses
- IP addresses are used by routers to determine whether a packet's destination is within the current network or not.
- If not, then the router will pass the packet onto the wide area network (WAN), where other routers can use the IP address to figure out where to send the packet.
- IP addresses are also used by network applications to specify which device they wish to communicate with.
Properties of an IP address
- IP addresses must be unique within the same local area network.
- IP addresses do not need to be universally unique.
Test yourself on IP Addresses
Which piece of networking hardware uses IP addresses?
Routers use an IP address to determine what?