IPv4

From Wikinfo

IPv4 is version 4 of the Internet Protocol (IP). It was the first version of the Internet Protocol to be widely deployed, and forms the basis for the current (as of 2004) Internet.

IPv4 addresses are written in Dot-decimal notation. Here's an example: 127.0.0.1.

IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses, limiting it to 4,294,967,296 unique addresses, many of which are reserved for special purposes such as local networks or multicast addresses, reducing the number of addresses that can be allocated as public Internet addresses.

As the number of addresses available is consumed, an IPv4 address shortage appears to be inevitable in the long run.

This limitation has helped stimulate the push towards IPv6, which is currently in the early stages of deployment, and is expected to eventually replace IPv4.

See also: IPv4 subnetting reference

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "IPv4" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv4, used under the GNU Free Documentation License