The following image shows how IPv6 separates the network address and host address in an IP address.
It defines the first 64 bits as the network address and the last 64 bits as the host address. Instead of using an additional component to separate network addresses and host addresses, IPv6 defines the number of bits for both types of addresses. Let's understand IP addresses in both versions. The length of IP addresses is different in both versions.īoth versions also use different formats to differentiate between network addresses and host addresses. There are two versions of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. If IP addresses are written in dotted-decimal notation or hexadecimal notation, computers automatically convert them into binary notation before processing them. To make IP addresses human friendly, IP addresses are also written in dotted-decimal and hexadecimal notations. Binary notation is complex to write and understand. From these notations, computers understand only binary notation.
IP addresses can be written in three notations: binary, dotted-decimal, and hexadecimal. If a large computer network is divided into smaller groups, each group is known as a subnet. The network address is used to find the subnet in which the computer or the device is located and the host address is used to find the computer or the device in the subnet. An IP address consists of two components: the network address and the host address. Addresses in computer networks are known as IP addresses. To uniquely identify each computer or networking device in the network, computer networks also use addresses. Addresses are mainly used for two reasons: to provide a unique identity to each object in the group and to find an object in the group.Ī computer network is a group of computers and various networking devices that connect to share information and resources. In simple terms, addresses are a way of organizing and locating objects in a single group or multiple groups. This unique identity is known as the address. If objects connected in a group want to share or exchange something, they need a specific identity to refer to each other.