IP Address Part 3 ( Subnet Mask, Private IP address) Range and Classification…
Every computer that connects to the Internet has to have an IP address assigned to it. IP addresses identify where the computer is located on the Internet so that Web servers and mail servers can send data to the correct computer. An IP address is a series of four numbers separated by dots:
66.117.136.6
208.25.127.254
192.168.1.1
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE IP ADDRESSES
There are two types of IP addresses – public and private. Public IPs are used by routers and by computers connected directly to DSL modems without a router. Private IP addresses are special IP addresses that are known only to a router and its home network. A Web server will not deliver Internet data to a private IP address. It will deliver the data to the router (which has a public IP address) and then the router will deliver the data to the computer that has the private IP address.
Routers are special because they have two IP addresses. An IP address is assigned to each of the router’s two “interfaces”. The first router interface is called the WAN (Wide Area Network) interface. This is the side of the router that faces the Internet and has a public IP address. The second router interface is called the LAN (Local Area Network) interface. This is the side of the router that faces the home network’s computers and has a private IP address.
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