Mike Meyers’ CompTIA Network+ Certification Passport, 4th Edition (Exam N10-005), 4th Edition

IP Addresses

The most common type of IP address consists of a 32-bit value. Here’s an example:

11000000101010000000010000000010

Whoa! IP addresses are just strings of 32 binary digits? Yes, they are, but to make IP addresses easier for humans to use, the 32-bit binary value is broken down into four groups of eight, separated by periods, or dots, like this:

11000000.10101000.00000100.00000010

Each of these 8-bit values—called an octet—is, in turn, converted into a decimal number between 0 and 255.

If you took every possible combination of eight binary values and placed them in a spreadsheet, it would look something like the list in the left column. The right column shows the same list with a decimal value assigned to each.

Converted, ...