Network Hardware

• A network interface card (NIC) :needed to allow a device to connect to a network
• MAC address: comprises 48 bits which are shown as six groups of hexadecimal digits

  • These do not change and are primarily constant for every device
  • There are two types of MAC addresses:
  • the Universally Administered MAC Address (UAA)
  • the Locally Administered MAC Address (LAA)

  UAA is made universally and cannot be changed, the opposite for LAA.
• IP address allocation:

  • The network allocates IP addresses.
  • Two types of IP addresses: static and dynamic.
• • Static IP addresses:
  • Assigned manually to a device.
  • Does not change over time.
  • Dynamic IP addresses:
  • Assigned automatically by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.
  • Changes periodically or when the device connects to a different network.
• • IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4):
  • Widely used protocol.
  • Consists of four groups of decimal numbers separated by dots (e.g., 192.168.0.1).
  • Provides approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses.
  • IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6):
  • Developed to address the limitations of IPv4.
  • Uses eight groups of hexadecimal numbers separated by colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
  • Provides an extremely large number of unique addresses (approximately 340 undecillion).
• Differences between IPv4 and IPv6:

  • Address format:
  • IPv4 uses a 32-bit address
  • IPv6 uses a 128-bit address
  • Address space:
  • IPv4 provides approximately 4.3 billion addresses
  • IPv6 offers around 340 undecillion addresses
  • Address allocation:
  • IPv4 addresses are allocated manually using DHCP
  • IPv6 addresses are primarily assigned using stateless autoconfiguration
• Router functionality:

  • A networking device that directs data packets between different networks.
  • It determines the most efficient path for data transmission.
• Sending data to a specific destination on a network:

  • A router examines the destination IP address of incoming data packets.
  • It uses routing tables to determine the next hop or the next router on the path to the destination.
  • The router forwards the data packet to the appropriate next hop.
• Router's role in IP address assignment:

  • Act as a DHCP server (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and assign IP addresses to devices on a local network.
  • It dynamically allocates IP addresses from a predefined range to connected devices.
  • DHCP allows for automatic IP address configuration and simplifies network management.
• Connecting a local network to the Internet:

  • A router serves as the gateway between a local network and the internet.
  • It connects the local network to an internet service provider (ISP) network.
  • The router receives data packets from devices on the local network and forwards them to the internet.
  • It also receives incoming data packets from the internet and routes them to the appropriate devices on the local network.