Network Addressing and Identity
Data delivery across networks relies on distinct addressing mechanisms operating at different layers:
- MAC Address: A permanent hardware address burned into a device's network interface card. It uniquely identifies a device within a local network segment.
- IP Address: A logical address used to route data across interconnected networks. IPv4 addresses (such as
192.168.1.5) provide approximately 4 billion unique addresses. Because IPv4 address space became depleted, IPv6 was introduced with much longer addresses to accommodate growing numbers of devices. - Port Number: Identifies a specific program, application, or service running on a host. Standard examples include port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS.
- Domain Name System (DNS): Functions as the Internet's directory, translating human-readable domain names (such as
example.com) into machine-usable numerical IP addresses.
Together, an IP address combined with a port number specifies the precise application on a target host that should receive incoming data.
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Prep Sessions
From Packets to Protocols: How Modern Networks Transmit Data @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ch.1 Network Architecture and Layering - From Packets to Protocols: How Modern Networks Transmit Data @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Network Fundamentals and Architecture - From Packets to Protocols: How Modern Networks Transmit Data @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Learn After
Which network identifier is a permanent hardware address burned directly into a network interface card to identify a device within a local network segment?
IPv6 was introduced with longer addresses to accommodate growing numbers of devices because the IPv4 address space became depleted.
What is the primary function of the Domain Name System (DNS)?
Explain the respective roles of an IP address and a port number in delivering network data to a specific application running on a target host.