Configuring IPV4

When you manually configure an IP, it simply means, you have to enter the IP values based on the class of the IP address and it’s subnet mask.

It also invariably means, the IP address is not using DHCP which automatically assigns /leases an IP address to a device on the network. When configuring an IP, it can either be Static configuration or Dynamic configuration.

Static IP Addresses

The static IP addresses usually never changes but 

may be changed by the administrator because of network operation/administration. They serve as a permanent Internet address for the routable ones (public IP addresses)and provide a simple and reliable way for the communication. From a single static Public IP address of a computer, we can get many information such as;

  • the continent,
  • country,
  • region and
  • city in which a computer is located,
  • The Internet Service Provider (ISP) that serves that computer.

Static IP addresses are considered as less secure than dynamic IP addresses because they are easier to track.

Dynamic IP Addresses

These are temporary IP addresses and are private addresses, meaning, they cannot be routed over the internet. These IP addresses are assigned to a computer when they get connected to the network each time. They are always borrowed from a pool of already pre-defined IP addresses from a server called DHCP server. The reason for dynamic ip addresses is that, the static (routable)IP addresses are limited. As of today, if every device on the internet were to have its own a static IPv4 address, we will run out of IPs and this was the primary reason why IPV6 was developed and introduced.

Most IP addresses assigned today by Internet Service Providers are dynamic IP addresses. It’s more cost effective for the ISP and you. The dynamic IP address can change from time to time, and even when it does, you may never notice. ISP internet service providers are the ones responsible for giving us IP (internet routable) to use in our homes on the internet. They usually reserve the portion of their assigned addresses for sharing among their subscribers, so that 10, 20, 30 subscribers could be sharing one same PUBLIC IP address.

Within an organization, these private IP addresses are usually handed to individual computers as they connect to the network through DHCP server which has the pre-defined Ip addresses configured by the administrator of the organization and all this is done through a process called DORA (Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge). Internet routers are configured to discard any packets coming from private IP address ranges, so these addresses are not routable on the Internet. But, when these organizations decide to communicate with one another, then a public ip address is used; which will then be routable on the internet.