1. What is an IP Address:
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a exclusive numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communicating with each other.
2. The role of an IP Address:
The role of An Internet Protocol (IP) address can been characterized as: a name indicates what to seek, an address indicates where the target is and a route indicates how to get the target.
3. IP Version 4:
IP address was first designed as a 32-bit (4-byte) number, known as IP Version 4 or IPv4. This system is used by most network devices today. The limitation of IPv4 is 4,294,967,296 (232) unique addresses.
4. IP Version 6:
Due to the enormous growth of the internet, IPv4 IPs are running out quickly, and a new addressing system was developed to solve this problem. This new system, known as IP Version 6 or IPv6, uses a 128-bit (16-byte) number, which provides the potential for a maximum of 2128 unique addresses.
More Information:
More about IP Address