Explore Networking in the Cloud

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Learning Topic

IP Addressing There are two versions of IP addressing used today, IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 addresses are the

older version but are still used widely in cloud deployments. Most systems on the internet

and the cloud today support both IPv4 and IPv6 addressing.

IPv4

IPv4 was introduced in the 1970s and became the standard through RFC 791, published

in 1981.

Standards and Internet Protocols

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

This resource provides more detailed information about the standards and internet

protocols of RFC 791:

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc791.txt (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc791.txt)

IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long and are written down in the form of 4 octets (w.x.y.z; with

w, x, y, and z represent a number between 0 and 255). With IPv4 addressing, conventions

exist to address the whole networks, subnets, and individual machines within them.

The link below will provide information about the specific format of the IPv4 header that

is part of the IPv4 packet. This information will be useful as you analyze network traffic in

the labs that are part of this project. Other important information includes the special

addresses used in IPv4, such as the private address range for internal use, the broadcast

address used to send a network-wide broadcast, and the multicast address, used to send

to a specific set of addresses.

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Subnetting is also an important concept in IP addressing. Subnetting is a method to

subdivide an IP network into smaller "subnets." In IPv4, subnetting is needed due to the

limited amount of IP addresses available. Subnetting will also improve the efficiency of the

network in terms of managing traffic.

You will also apply your understanding of subnetting when you are asked to

subnet BallotOnline's IP network.

Services and Protocols of IPv4

IPv4 Overview

A good understanding of IPv4 addressing is critical since many cloud systems use it.

The following resource will provide an overview of IPv4, including its format and

use. It will include important services and protocols of IPv4, such as:

Network Address Translation

Domain Name System

Address Resolution Protocol

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Internet Control Message Protocol

http://intronetworks.cs.luc.edu/current/html/ipv4.html

(http://intronetworks.cs.luc.edu/current/html/ipv4.html)

IPv6

Due to the limitations of IPv4, in the mid-1990s the Internet Engineering Task Force

(IETF) (https://www.ietf.org/) started the development of the next generation of

Internet Protocol that is now known as IPv6. IPv6 now uses 128-bit addresses. The goal is

to eventually phase out IPv4 and use IPv6 as the standard protocol on the internet.

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Services and Protocols of IPv6

IPv6

The resource below will provide more information about IPv6, including its format

and use. Although one benefit of IPv6 is that a network administrator will not have

to do many of the tasks or functions currently required in IPv4, such as subnetting

or address assignments, it is still important for a cloud architect to understand IPv6

and how it is used on the network.

Special attention and consideration should be given to the following concepts

because they will ensure success in the cloud computing field.

http://intronetworks.cs.luc.edu/current/html/ipv6a.html

(http://intronetworks.cs.luc.edu/current/html/ipv6a.html)

IPv6 Header: This section provides information about formatting of the

packets, beneficial as you analyze network traffic.

IPv6 Addresses: This section provides information about IPv6 addressing. This

new version is written in a different format. The old 4-number format is no

longer used, replaced with a sequence of hexadecimal codes. And depending

on the network, there may be several different acceptable notations to use.

Network Prefixes: This section discusses how network prefixes are used to

identify networks.

Neighbor Discovery: This section explains how network devices find out about

other devices on the network.

IPv6 Host Address Assignment: This section covers how IPv6 addresses are

assigned and how duplicate addresses are detected and managed.

Globally Exposed Addresses: This section discusses a unique and substantial

change for IPv6, the fact that in IPv6, every network device may be globally

visible.

Using IPv6 and IPv4 Together: This section discusses how IPv4 and IPv6 are

used together. You need to understand how both are being used today, the

limitations, and how to configure them.

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