IP Addressing & MAC Addressing

IP Addressing and MAC Addressing are two methods used to identify devices on a network. Both serve different purposes but are essential for communication within and between networks.

Overview of Key Differences

IP Address

• Dynamic and can change depending on the network you're connected to.
• Used for global identification across networks (e.g., the internet).

MAC Address

• Static and unique to each device's hardware.
• Used within local networks to deliver data to the right device.

IP Addressing

• IP (Internet Protocol) Address: A unique numerical identifier assigned to each device connected to a network. It helps route data from one device to another over the internet.
• Use: IP addresses allow devices to locate and communicate with each other on a network, such as a website server or a computer in a local network.

Types of IP Addresses

IPv4

• The most widely used IP address format.
• Consists of 4 groups of numbers separated by periods (dots).
• Each group (called an octet) ranges from 0 to 255.
• Limited to about 4.3 billion addresses.

IPv6

• A newer version designed to replace IPv4 due to the shortage of IPv4 addresses.
• Consists of 8 groups of hexadecimal numbers separated by colons.
• Provides 340 undecillion addresses, solving the address limitation problem of IPv4.

MAC Addressing

• MAC (Media Access Control) Address: A unique hardware identifier assigned to a network interface card (NIC) by the manufacturer.
• Use: MAC addresses are used within a local network to ensure that data is sent to the correct physical device. While IP addresses change based on the network, a MAC address remains constant for each device.

Format of a MAC Address

• A MAC address consists of 6 pairs of hexadecimal numbers (0-9, A-F), separated by colons or hyphens.
• The first half identifies the manufacturer (Organizationally Unique Identifier), while the second half identifies the specific device (Network Interface Controller identifier).