31. OCR GCSE (J277) 1.3 IP and MAC addressing

Summary

In this informative video, Craig explores the crucial distinctions between IP addressing and MAC addressing. He explains that MAC addresses are unique identifiers for network interface cards, used for routing frames within local networks. In contrast, IP addresses, essential for wide area networks like the internet, come in two versions: IPv4 and IPv6. While IPv4 provides around 4 billion addresses, the explosion of connected devices has necessitated the shift to IPv6, which offers a staggering 340 trillion trillion trillion unique addresses. This transition is vital to accommodate the growing Internet of Things, ensuring seamless connectivity for future devices.

Takeaways

• 😀 Every device on a network has a Network Interface Card (NIC), which contains a unique MAC address.
• 🌐 MAC addresses are 48-bit hexadecimal numbers, formatted as six pairs separated by colons.
• 📦 In wide area networks (WAN), packets are routed using IP addressing instead of MAC addressing.
• 🔢 An IPv4 address consists of four decimal numbers (0-255) separated by periods, totaling 32 bits.
• 📊 IPv4 provides around 4 billion unique addresses, but many are reserved for special uses.
• 🏠 An IP address has two parts: the network identifier and the host identifier.
• 📈 The growth of internet-connected devices necessitated the development of IP version 6 (IPv6).
• 🚀 IPv6 uses 128 bits for addresses, allowing for approximately 340 trillion trillion trillion unique addresses.
• 💻 As of 2018, there were nearly 35 billion devices connected to the internet, significantly exceeding IPv4 capacity.
• 📅 IP version 4 is gradually being replaced by IP version 6 due to the exhaustion of available IPv4 addresses.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a MAC address?

A MAC address is used to route frames on a local area network (LAN) and is unique to each network interface card.

How is a traditional MAC address formatted?

A traditional MAC address is a 12-digit hexadecimal number formatted as six pairs separated by colons.

What is the difference between frames and packets?

Frames are used in local area networks, while packets are used in wide area networks. They refer to the same data units but in different contexts.

What constitutes an IP address?

An IP address is a unique number used to identify a host computer or node that communicates over the internet using IP.

What are the two versions of IP currently in use?

The two versions of IP currently in use are IP version 4 (IPv4) and IP version 6 (IPv6).

How is an IPv4 address structured?

An IPv4 address is written as four decimal numbers separated by periods, where each number can range from 0 to 255.

Why are there concerns about the availability of IPv4 addresses?

The availability of IPv4 addresses is a concern due to the rapid increase in connected devices, with around 35 billion devices needing IP addresses by 2018, exceeding the roughly 4 billion addresses available in IPv4.

What led to the development of IPv6?

IPv6 was developed to address the limitations of IPv4, as the number of devices connected to the internet grew significantly, necessitating a larger pool of unique IP addresses.

How is an IPv6 address structured?

An IPv6 address is 128 bits in size and is formatted as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, separated by colons.

What is the estimated number of unique addresses available in IPv6?

IPv6 provides approximately 340 trillion trillion trillion unique IP addresses, which is far more than IPv4.