Networking & IP
IP planning, subnetting, IPv6, VLANs and switch configuration.
- Networking & IP
What is an IP address? Format, classes and how it works
An IP address is the number that identifies a network interface. IPv4 addresses are 32 bits written as four decimals, like 192.168.1.10: the network portion says which network, the host portion which device. Routers read the network portion; the MAC address handles the last hop.
- Networking & IP
What is IPv6? Address structure, benefits and adoption
IPv6 is version 6 of the Internet Protocol and the successor to IPv4. It extends addresses from 32 to 128 bits, enough for every network segment to be a /64, and removes the need for layers of NAT. The catch: it cannot talk to IPv4 directly, so the two will coexist for years.
- Networking & IP
VLAN types: port, MAC, protocol and subnet-based membership compared
By how membership is assigned, there are four VLAN types: port-based, MAC-based, protocol-based and IP subnet-based. Port-based is set by the switch admin; the other three follow the device, so a host can change VLAN by changing its own MAC or IP. That is why data centers use port-based VLANs.
- Networking & IP
What is CIDR? Classless routing and slash notation explained
What is CIDR? Classless Inter-Domain Routing replaced Class A, B and C networks in 1993: the network part of an address is no longer fixed at 8, 16 or 24 bits but written after a slash. A /22 fixes the first 22 bits and leaves 10 free, a block of 1,024 addresses.
- Networking & IP
What is SNMP? How managers, agents and MIBs work together
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is an IETF protocol that monitoring systems use to read device status and devices use to send alerts. It has three parts: the manager that queries, the agent on the device, and the MIB that defines what can be read. Most networks run v2c or v3.
- Networking & IP
What is a VLAN? How one switch is split into separate broadcast domains
A VLAN (virtual LAN) groups switch ports under a number, and each group is its own broadcast domain: ports in one VLAN talk at Layer 2 as usual, while different VLANs cannot see each other. That number is the VLAN ID, 1 to 4094; on links shared by several VLANs, an 802.1Q tag carries it.
- Networking & IP
How to find my IP address: local, private and public IP explained
How to find my IP address depends on which one you need. Your local IP sits on the network adapter: run ipconfig on Windows, ip addr on Linux or show ip interface brief on a switch. Your public IP is what internet servers see and can only be checked from outside. If they differ, NAT sits in between.
- Networking & IP
How to fix an IP address conflict: diagnose, trace and prevent
To fix an IP address conflict, find the second MAC address answering for the same IP, look it up in the switch MAC table to locate its port, then correct the misconfigured device. In a data center, an IPAM record for every address and IP source guard on access ports keep it from coming back.
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