Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the fourth version in the development of the Internet Protocol (IP) and the first version of the protocol to be widely deployed. IPv4 is described in IETF publication RFC 791 (September 1981), replacing an earlier definition (RFC 760, January 1980). This tutorial will help you in understanding IPv4 and its associated terminologies along with appropriate references and examples.

Audience

This tutorial has been designed to help beginners understand basic concepts of IPv4 required to work with any TCP/IP based protocols. After completing this tutorial, you will find yourself at a moderate level of expertise of IPv4 from where you can take yourself to next levels.

Prerequisites

Before you start proceeding with this tutorial, I”m making an assumption that you are already aware of basic computer and network concepts such as what is a protocol, why do we need protocol, Network Layers, etc.