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Questions and Answers
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?
An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a network.
What is subnetting?
Subnetting is the process of dividing a larger network into smaller, more manageable subnetworks.
What does a subnet mask do?
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The subnet mask for IPv4 that signifies a typical home network is _____
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How does masking improve IP address utilization?
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What is NAT?
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Which of the following is NOT a feature of NAT?
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What is one advantage of using NAT?
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What is a disadvantage of NAT?
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What is the function of the network layer?
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What are the two main versions of IP addresses?
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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?
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Explain Classful IP addressing.
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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?
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Which class of IP addresses is designed for small networks?
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What is subnetting?
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What does CIDR stand for?
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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.
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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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