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Questions and Answers
What is masking in computer networks?
What is masking in computer networks?
Masking is a technique used in subnetting and IP addressing to separate the network portion of an IP address from the host portion.
What is an IP address?
What is an IP address?
An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a network.
What is subnetting?
What is subnetting?
Subnetting is the process of dividing a larger network into smaller, more manageable subnetworks.
What does a subnet mask do?
What does a subnet mask do?
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The subnet mask for IPv4 that signifies a typical home network is _____
The subnet mask for IPv4 that signifies a typical home network is _____
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How does masking improve IP address utilization?
How does masking improve IP address utilization?
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What is NAT?
What is NAT?
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Which of the following is NOT a feature of NAT?
Which of the following is NOT a feature of NAT?
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What is one advantage of using NAT?
What is one advantage of using NAT?
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What is a disadvantage of NAT?
What is a disadvantage of NAT?
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What is the function of the network layer?
What is the function of the network layer?
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What are the two main versions of IP addresses?
What are the two main versions of IP addresses?
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IP addresses are crucial for identifying devices and facilitating communication across __________.
IP addresses are crucial for identifying devices and facilitating communication across __________.
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Which of the following is a key function of the network layer?
Which of the following is a key function of the network layer?
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Explain Classful IP addressing.
Explain Classful IP addressing.
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IPv4 addresses can support more devices than IPv6 addresses.
IPv4 addresses can support more devices than IPv6 addresses.
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What is the address space of a protocol that uses N bits?
What is the address space of a protocol that uses N bits?
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Which class of IP addresses is designed for small networks?
Which class of IP addresses is designed for small networks?
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What is subnetting?
What is subnetting?
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What does CIDR stand for?
What does CIDR stand for?
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What is supernetting?
What is supernetting?
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Study Notes
Advanced Computer Network (Elective Subject)
- Offered as an elective in MSBTE diploma programs, allowing students to select courses based on interests.
- Covers in-depth topics related to advanced networking concepts, protocols, and technologies.
Network Layers & Protocols
- The Network Layer (Layer 3 in OSI model) facilitates packet delivery across interconnected networks, focusing on logical addressing, routing, and packet forwarding.
Functions of the Network Layer
- Logical Addressing: Assigns unique IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6) to devices for identification on a network.
- Routing: Determines optimal paths for data packets using routers and routing protocols (e.g., OSPF, BGP).
- Packet Forwarding: Forwards packets to the next hop based on destination IP and routing tables.
- Fragmentation and Reassembly: Breaks down packets to fit the maximum transmission unit (MTU).
- Error Handling and Diagnostics: Utilizes protocols like ICMP to provide error messages and diagnostics.
IP Addressing
- Critical for device identification and communication within networks, utilizing unique addresses.
- IPv4: A 32-bit address structured in four octets (0-255) represented in decimal (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
- IPv6: A 128-bit address represented as eight groups of hexadecimal numbers (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
Address Space
- The total number of unique addresses defined by an N-bit address is 2^N.
Classful Addressing
- Divides the IPv4 address space into five classes (A, B, C, D, and E) based on leading bits.
- Class A: Supports large networks, 1.0.0.0 to 126.0.0.0, with 16,777,214 hosts.
- Class B: Medium-sized networks, 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.0.0, supporting 65,534 hosts.
- Class C: Small networks, 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.0, with a capacity for 254 hosts.
- Class D: Reserved for multicast groups, 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255.
- Class E: Experimental usage, 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.
Classless Addressing (CIDR)
- A more flexible way of allocating IP addresses, allowing for contiguous blocks based on demand and efficient use of address space.
Subnetting
- The practice of dividing a larger IP range into smaller subnets to improve efficiency, manage IP allocation, increase security, and ease network management.
- Utilizes a subnet mask to differentiate between the network and host portions of an IP address.
Supernetting
- Aggregates multiple smaller address ranges into a larger summarized range to reduce routing table size, leading to more efficient routing decisions.
Masking
- A technique in subnetting that separates the network and host portions of an IP address using a subnet mask.
- The subnet mask is applied using a bitwise AND operation to determine network addresses.
Advantages of Masking
- Enhances security by isolating subnetworks.
- Promotes efficient use of IP addresses by segmenting networks effectively.### Network Address Translation (NAT)
- NAT modifies IP address information in packet headers during their transit across routing devices.
- Enables multiple devices on a local network to share a single public IP address for internet access.
- Enhances network security by hiding internal IP addresses, making direct attacks more difficult.
Key Features of NAT
- Multiple Devices, One IP: Allows device sharing under one public IP, essential for home and office networks.
- Privacy: Conceals internal IP addresses from external entities, providing an additional privacy layer.
- Address Conservation: Reduces the need for numerous public IP addresses, crucial given IPv4 address limitations.
- Translation Table: NAT devices maintain a table to link private IP addresses to public IP addresses and ports.
- Port Forwarding: Configurable to allow external devices to access specific services within a private network.
- Compatibility Issues: Some older applications may not function optimally with NAT due to expected direct IP communications.
- Dynamic NAT: Public IP may change with each connection made by a device.
- Static NAT: Allocates a fixed public IP address to a specific private IP for consistent access.
- Common Usage: Predominant in most home and office routers to manage local and internet traffic.
- Essential for IPv4: Vital for conserving limited public IP addresses in IPv4 networks.
NAT Traffic Management
-
Outgoing Traffic:
- Device sends data; router modifies the source IP to the public IP.
- Source port management ensures correct return traffic routing, tracked in the translation table.
-
Incoming Traffic:
- Responses from the internet are forwarded to devices using the translation table.
- Destination IP and port numbers are modified for correct internal addressing.
Advantages of NAT
- IP Address Conservation: Facilitates more efficient use of limited IPv4 addresses by sharing a single public IP.
- Security Improvement: Protects internal network structures from external exposure, hindering potential attacks.
- Flexible IP Addressing: Uses private IP addresses that can be altered without impacting external network communication.
Disadvantages of NAT
- Application Complexity: Certain applications, especially peer-to-peer, VoIP, and online games, might struggle due to IP modifications.
- Performance Overhead: Incurred processing burden as NAT devices maintain and reference translation tables for each packet.
- Limited Transparency: NAT might obscure end-to-end connectivity, complicating network monitoring and troubleshooting.
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