3Com OfficeConnect User Manual - Ipx A
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DDRESSES
IP Addresses
A worldwide network such as the Internet needs a
globally-accepted method of identifying individual
devices (workstations and network equipment).
Devices on the Internet are assigned unique
addresses. The Internet then uses these assigned
addresses when sending or receiving packets.
Internet addressing uses a 32-bit (or 4-octet) address
field. The bits that make up an Internet address are
divided into two parts:
■
The first part identifies the network on which the
device resides.
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The second part identifies the device itself.
Devices attached to the same network must have the
same number assigned to the network portion of the
address, but have different numbers assigned to the
device portion of the address.
To ensure the uniqueness of Internet addresses, they
are assigned by an organization called InterNIC.
This organization assigns a globally unique network
number to each network that wants to connect to the
Internet. They only assign the network portion of the
address; assigning the device numbers is your
responsibility.
If you do not plan to connect to the Internet but
need to use IP addresses on your network, you could
assign network numbers on your own. However,
InterNIC still assigns and register unique network
numbers to organizations not planning to join the
Internet. This means that if you change your mind
later, you can simply connect to the Internet without
having to obtain new network numbers and
reconfigure every device on your network with a new
address.
For information on assigning your own IP addresses
for a small, contained network, refer to
Addresses to a Small, Contained Network”
on