WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.480 Have you ever noticed how sometimes all the tech 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:06.139 stuff at work or at school can feel like it's 00:00:06.139 --> 00:00:09.480 just its own little world? You're not in IT, 00:00:09.539 --> 00:00:10.939 so you don't really get it. It can almost feel 00:00:10.939 --> 00:00:12.480 like you're trying to learn another language. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.460 Oh yeah, for sure. Technology is such a huge 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:17.940 part of what we do all the time now, but it's 00:00:17.940 --> 00:00:20.199 not always easy to really understand all the 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:22.219 basic stuff that makes it actually work right. 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.600 Exactly. And that's why in this deep dive, what 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:28.219 we want to do is kind of take apart and explain 00:00:28.219 --> 00:00:32.539 this really basic idea, the IP address. OK. So 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:33.979 you can think of this like you're learning this 00:00:33.979 --> 00:00:35.840 key bit of knowledge. And this is going to help 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:37.960 you talk to all those tech people around you 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:40.420 way more confidently. Right. And the source we're 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:41.979 using for this is actually a great one. It's 00:00:41.979 --> 00:00:45.399 called EdTech for Ed Leaders, IP addresses. And 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:47.420 it does such a good job breaking all this down. 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:49.960 Yeah, it's a good one. So right off the bat, 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:51.840 something that's super important to understand 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:54.320 is that there are actually two main types of 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:56.320 addresses that we're going to look at here. One 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:58.600 is this permanent identifier that's built into 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:00.500 the hardware itself. And then the other one is 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:04.060 more temporary. It gets assigned when a device 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:06.299 connects up to a network. So we're talking about 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:09.480 the MIT address, which is that unchanging physical 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:11.680 address, and then the IP address, which is a 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:14.620 lot more dynamic. And understanding how these 00:01:14.620 --> 00:01:17.680 two things actually worked together. that is 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:19.879 like the key to understanding how devices can 00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:22.400 actually talk to each other. So it's like, how 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:24.799 do those little bits of information actually 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:27.840 get where they need to go all across the network? 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:29.680 All right, so let's start breaking this down. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.599 Let's start with the MAC address, the permanent 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:34.439 one. OK, so the MAC address or the media access 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:37.400 control address is like the basic identifier 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:40.000 for really any piece of networking hardware you 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:45.069 can think of. your laptop, your smartphone, a 00:01:45.069 --> 00:01:47.569 network -connected printer, all these have a 00:01:47.569 --> 00:01:49.709 unique MRC address, and it's basically put right 00:01:49.709 --> 00:01:51.810 onto the hardware when it's made. You can kind 00:01:51.810 --> 00:01:54.049 of think of it like a fingerprint for that device's 00:01:54.049 --> 00:01:56.569 network card. Oh, I see. It's like a device's 00:01:56.569 --> 00:01:59.500 permanent... birth certificate never changes. 00:01:59.939 --> 00:02:01.780 So even if you take your device and you move 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:03.799 it from your home network over to your work network, 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:06.180 its MAC address is always going to be the same. 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:07.840 Right, and that makes it super valuable because 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:10.139 it's always unique and constant. Being able to 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:13.560 specifically identify devices on a local network. 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:16.259 So the article talks about network sniffers. 00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:18.680 And those are tools that capture and analyze 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:21.479 all the data that's going across a network. So 00:02:21.479 --> 00:02:23.800 administrators can see exactly which devices 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:26.520 are talking to each other. And they're identified 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:29.659 by their MAC addresses. And this ability to identify 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:32.620 things so specifically is super important for 00:02:32.620 --> 00:02:35.759 stuff like diagnosing network problems and security 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.479 monitoring. OK, so that's the permanent ID. Now 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:40.740 let's talk about the IP address, which is more 00:02:40.740 --> 00:02:43.159 temporary. It's how we locate a device. How does 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:46.000 that work? So the IP address is this temporary 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.419 address that gets given to a device whenever 00:02:49.419 --> 00:02:51.520 it connects to a network. And that's where something 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.680 called DHCP comes in, the Dynamic Host Configuration 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:58.219 Protocol. And you can kind of think of DHCP like 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:00.740 this automated system that's handing out all 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:03.060 these temporary IP addresses from like a pool 00:03:03.060 --> 00:03:06.199 of available addresses every time a device connects. 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:08.360 OK, so it's like when your tablet connects to 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:10.139 the Wi -Fi at the coffee shop, for instance. 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:12.620 And like a DHCP server, which is probably running 00:03:12.620 --> 00:03:14.259 on the router, it says, all right, here's an 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:16.099 IP address you can use while you're here. Yeah, 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:19.180 exactly. And the thing to remember here is this 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:21.819 IP address is going to probably be different 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:23.759 the next time you connect your tablet to the 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:25.819 same network. or if you connect it to a different 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.419 network. It's not tied to the physical hardware 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:30.759 in the same way that a MAC address is. Right, 00:03:30.819 --> 00:03:33.000 right. Now the source we're using here points 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:36.039 out that this pool of IP addresses that the DHCP 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:38.500 server is managing it isn't unlimited, right? 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.139 So what happens if it gets totally used up? Oh, 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:44.360 that's a super important point. If a DHCP server 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:47.840 actually runs out of IP addresses, any new device 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:50.409 that tries to connect just won't be able to. 00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:52.449 Like think about a lecture hall that's totally 00:03:52.449 --> 00:03:55.270 full of students and the pool of IP addresses 00:03:55.270 --> 00:03:57.370 isn't big enough. Some students might not be 00:03:57.370 --> 00:03:59.590 able to get on the network at all. So it's really 00:03:59.590 --> 00:04:03.009 important to configure the DHDP server correctly, 00:04:03.389 --> 00:04:05.110 make sure there are enough addresses for all 00:04:05.110 --> 00:04:06.770 the devices that are going to try and connect. 00:04:07.250 --> 00:04:10.069 Okay, that makes a lot of sense. So we've got 00:04:10.069 --> 00:04:13.289 these temporary IP addresses and the source mentions 00:04:13.289 --> 00:04:16.689 something about IPv4 and IPv6. What are those 00:04:16.689 --> 00:04:19.180 two different versions all about? Yeah, so that 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:21.980 has to do with how IP addresses are actually 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:24.379 structured and how the internet has changed over 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:28.060 time. So IPv4, that's the older system, and it's 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:29.459 probably the kind of address that you're most 00:04:29.459 --> 00:04:32.339 familiar with. It's four sets of numbers separated 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:35.439 by dots. It's called a quad dot address. So like 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.040 an example would be something like 192 .168 .1 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:40.980 .1100. Yeah, those are the ones I recognize. 00:04:41.019 --> 00:04:42.639 So what was the problem with that system? So 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:46.339 each IPv4 address uses 32 bits, which means that 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:49.040 in theory there is a maximum number of IP addresses. 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:52.600 It's only around 4 .3 billion unique IP addresses. 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:55.300 When the internet was first developed, that seemed 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:57.800 like a huge number. But with the internet growing 00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.860 so fast and all these devices connecting to it, 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:02.720 like computers and smartphones and tablets, even 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:05.579 smart appliances, now we're starting to see a 00:05:05.579 --> 00:05:08.100 real shortage of those IPv4 addresses. Oh, wow. 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:10.199 So what did they do? How did they fix that problem? 00:05:10.339 --> 00:05:12.500 Well, so the answer is IPv6, which is the newer 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:15.319 internet protocol version 6. In this system, 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:19.019 uses 128 bits for each address. So to give you 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:20.639 an idea of how big that is, the article gives 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:29.639 us an example. 2001 .0db8 .85a3 .882e .037 .7334. 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.300 Oh my gosh. And in terms of how many possible 00:05:32.300 --> 00:05:34.220 addresses we're talking about, like roughly 3 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:37.180 .4 times 10 to the power of 38. Whoa. So like 00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:39.399 a crazy huge number. And this pretty much solves 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:41.180 the problem of running out of addresses, you 00:05:41.180 --> 00:05:42.759 know, for a really long time. Yeah, that's a 00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:45.120 massive change. So like, is everybody using IPv6? 00:05:44.970 --> 00:05:47.949 IPv6 now, exclusively? Well, not just yet. The 00:05:47.949 --> 00:05:50.189 article says that most networks today are actually 00:05:50.189 --> 00:05:53.569 set up to support both IPv4 and IPv6. Oh. Yeah, 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:55.329 IPv6 is definitely the future for the internet 00:05:55.329 --> 00:05:57.910 as a whole, you know. But IPv4 is still used 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:00.410 a lot for local area networks or lands like you 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:03.009 might find at home or at school or an office 00:06:03.009 --> 00:06:06.009 building. Right, that makes sense. So within 00:06:06.009 --> 00:06:08.850 these local networks that are still using IPv4 00:06:08.850 --> 00:06:10.990 a lot of the time, how are those IP addresses 00:06:10.990 --> 00:06:12.930 managed? Because the source mentioned that there's 00:06:12.930 --> 00:06:15.149 a limited number available, right? Yeah, that's 00:06:15.149 --> 00:06:18.449 right. So within a typical LAN that's using IPv4, 00:06:18.730 --> 00:06:20.389 there's usually only a certain number of addresses 00:06:20.389 --> 00:06:23.089 available. And this is in what's called a subnet. 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:25.720 The article simplifies this a bit by saying, 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.839 like, a common setup might have around 255 addresses 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:32.120 that can be used. So something like 192 .168 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:38.699 .0 .1 all the way to 192 .168 .0 .255. And you'll 00:06:38.699 --> 00:06:40.540 notice the first three sets of numbers are usually 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:42.839 the same within that local network, right? So 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:44.800 within those local networks, the range of those 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:47.399 255 addresses is determined by something called 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:50.139 a subnet mask. And this tells devices which part 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:52.199 of their IP address shows which network they're 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:54.779 on and which part shows their specific device 00:06:54.779 --> 00:06:57.339 on that network. Oh okay so all the devices that 00:06:57.339 --> 00:07:00.680 are in that local subnet they get their temporary 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.399 IP addresses from that pool of like let's say 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:06.680 255 and that's all controlled by one DHCP server 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:09.720 within that LAN. Exactly and that central management 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.019 by the DHCP server is really important because 00:07:12.019 --> 00:07:14.740 it makes sure that no two devices on that local 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:18.079 network get assigned The same IP address at the 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:20.339 same time that would cause like a conflict and 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:21.980 then nobody could talk to each other on the network. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.529 Oh yeah, for sure. OK, so the source gets into 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:26.449 the different ways that these IP addresses can 00:07:26.449 --> 00:07:27.889 be assigned. And this seems like it's really 00:07:27.889 --> 00:07:30.209 important for understanding how network administrators 00:07:30.209 --> 00:07:32.949 manage all this stuff. There are three main ways, 00:07:33.110 --> 00:07:35.670 right? Static, dynamic, and reserved. OK, so 00:07:35.670 --> 00:07:38.110 let's start with static IP addresses. What are 00:07:38.110 --> 00:07:41.750 those all about? So static IP addresses are IP 00:07:41.750 --> 00:07:44.649 addresses that are configured by hand directly 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:47.569 on a specific device. And we usually use those 00:07:47.569 --> 00:07:49.689 for devices that need to be accessible on the 00:07:49.689 --> 00:07:51.389 network all the time. So things like your core 00:07:51.389 --> 00:07:54.699 network devices like network switches, wireless 00:07:54.699 --> 00:07:56.459 access points, all the things that keep the network 00:07:56.459 --> 00:07:59.160 up and running. The article also mentions threat 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:01.560 management appliances and printers as really 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:04.399 common examples of devices that usually get static 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:07.379 IPs. Okay, so like all those devices that everyone 00:08:07.379 --> 00:08:09.560 needs to be able to find reliably, they get a 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:12.500 permanent, unchanging address, and those static 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:15.199 addresses are like set aside so the DHCP server 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:16.779 doesn't try and give them out to anybody else, 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:19.759 right? Exactly. The ALTI administrator will usually 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:22.459 set up a specific range of IP addresses that 00:08:22.459 --> 00:08:25.110 are only for static assignment. And then they'll 00:08:25.110 --> 00:08:27.509 tell the DHCP server to not use those addresses 00:08:27.509 --> 00:08:30.769 when it's assigning those dynamic IPs. And the 00:08:30.769 --> 00:08:33.330 benefit here is that it's super reliable, and 00:08:33.330 --> 00:08:35.850 usually it improves performance. Because those 00:08:35.850 --> 00:08:38.029 essential devices always have the same address. 00:08:38.769 --> 00:08:40.710 Communication with them is generally a lot faster 00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:42.470 and more consistent. It's kind of like having 00:08:42.470 --> 00:08:44.450 a dedicated phone line with a specific number 00:08:44.450 --> 00:08:46.370 just for an important department. Oh, I see. 00:08:46.429 --> 00:08:48.269 OK, that makes a lot of sense for all the really... 00:08:48.350 --> 00:08:50.950 important always -on equipment. Now, what about 00:08:50.950 --> 00:08:53.190 those dynamic IP addresses? It sounds like that's 00:08:53.190 --> 00:08:55.750 what most of our everyday devices use, like our 00:08:55.750 --> 00:08:58.269 laptops and phones, right? Yeah, exactly. Dynamic 00:08:58.269 --> 00:09:01.710 IP addresses are like the workhorses for the 00:09:01.710 --> 00:09:04.610 devices that connect to the network, but not 00:09:04.610 --> 00:09:07.470 all the time. So like your laptop, desktop computer, 00:09:07.889 --> 00:09:11.129 smartphone, tablets, all these devices will get 00:09:11.129 --> 00:09:14.730 a new IP address assigned by the DHCP server 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:17.120 every time they connect. Gotcha, so like you 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:18.559 turn on your phone it connects to the Wi -Fi 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.820 and the ACP server says all right Here's an available 00:09:20.820 --> 00:09:23.100 IP address you can use for now Yeah, and then 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:24.820 the next time you connect it could be the same 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:27.019 one or it could be a totally different one exactly 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:29.679 right That's that dynamic nature of it and like 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:31.879 we talked about before The network administrator 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:34.059 will set up the range of IP addresses that the 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:36.360 DHCP server is allowed to hand out and if they 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:39.120 run out of addresses then New devices can't join 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.799 the network until more addresses are freed up 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:44.320 or the network configuration is changed OK, got 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:47.019 it. So static for all the really important stuff 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:49.039 that needs to be accessed all the time dynamic 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:50.799 for the stuff that connects every now and then. 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:53.980 Now there's one more option you mentioned, reserved 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:56.379 IP addresses. This kind of sounds like a mix 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:58.299 of both. Yeah, that's right. It's kind of like 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:00.879 a hybrid approach. So with a reserved IP address, 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:04.340 The DHCP server is set up to always give the 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:06.980 same IP address to a specific device every time 00:10:06.980 --> 00:10:09.279 it connects to the network. But the big difference 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:12.799 between a reserved IP and a static IP is that 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:15.120 the IP address isn't manually configured on the 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.299 device itself. The DHCP server is still managing 00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:20.779 it. So the device still asks for an IP address 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:23.159 when it connects, but the DHCP server remembers 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:25.559 that device probably by its match address, and 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:27.519 it always gives it the same IP address from a 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:29.850 special reserved area of the pool. That's exactly 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:32.649 it. The DHCP server basically keeps track of 00:10:32.649 --> 00:10:36.330 the device's MAC address and the specific IP 00:10:36.330 --> 00:10:38.129 address. And it makes sure that whenever that 00:10:38.129 --> 00:10:40.590 device with that MAC address asks for an IP, 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:42.909 it always gets the same one from that reserved 00:10:42.909 --> 00:10:45.110 section. And the artist that gives this really 00:10:45.110 --> 00:10:47.389 great example from technical schools, they would 00:10:47.389 --> 00:10:49.409 have special equipment like those simulated electrical 00:10:49.409 --> 00:10:52.370 panels or industrial interfaces. And these devices, 00:10:52.370 --> 00:10:54.759 they might not have like... easy to use interfaces 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.820 for manually setting a static IP. So it's way 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:00.179 easier for the IT staff to manage it all from 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:03.220 the central DHCP server using reservations. Yeah, 00:11:03.299 --> 00:11:05.299 that's a good example of why you might use reserved 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:08.460 IPs. So you get that same consistency of a static 00:11:08.460 --> 00:11:12.480 IP for that device, but it's all managed centrally 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:14.860 through the DHCP server, which makes it easier 00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:17.740 for the IT people. So basically, we've done this 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:20.879 big deep dive into MEC addresses, those permanent 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:22.559 identifiers that are built into the hardware, 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:25.519 and IP addresses, those temporary locators. We 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:28.720 talked about how IPv4 has changed to IPv6, which 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:31.759 is so much bigger, and how IPv4 works within 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:33.799 local networks. And we looked at all three ways 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:36.360 of assigning IP addresses, static for guaranteed 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:38.539 access, dynamic for flexibility, and reserved 00:11:38.539 --> 00:11:40.820 for consistent assignment. That's right. And 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:42.240 like we said at the beginning, the whole goal 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.519 of this deep dive was to help you, our listener, 00:11:45.019 --> 00:11:47.059 really understand these basic networking concepts. 00:11:47.220 --> 00:11:49.159 Hopefully now, when you hear IP address, it doesn't 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:52.179 seem quite so confusing. Right, exactly. You 00:11:52.179 --> 00:11:54.159 should have a way better understanding now of 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.179 how your devices talk to each other on a network 00:11:56.179 --> 00:11:58.700 and why knowing about these addresses is so important 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:01.000 for anybody who deals with technology. Whether 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:02.740 that's at work or at school or even at home, 00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:04.519 so now you can talk to your IT people with more 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:07.519 confidence. Yeah, for sure. So here's something 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:09.590 to think about. When you're going about your 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:12.250 day, think about all the different devices you 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:15.190 use. Which ones do you think probably have a 00:12:15.190 --> 00:12:17.909 static IP address? Maybe it's the main printer 00:12:17.909 --> 00:12:20.570 at the office or the wireless access points that 00:12:20.570 --> 00:12:23.049 you connect to. And which ones are probably getting 00:12:23.049 --> 00:12:26.470 their IP addresses dynamically every time they 00:12:26.470 --> 00:12:29.250 join a network? Like your phone or your work 00:12:29.250 --> 00:12:31.990 laptop. And what do you think is the reason for 00:12:31.990 --> 00:12:35.679 those specific choices? for each type of device. 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:37.519 Take a look at your own network now that you 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:39.059 understand a little bit more about how it all 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:41.659 works. Great advice. Thanks. Well, that's it 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:43.539 for this deep dive. Thanks for listening. Yeah, 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:45.159 thanks for having me. See you next time. See 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:45.379 you later.