TODO: change name to "Network Architecture" and change content to more generally describe how the univerersity network works, with specifics about VTLUUG's setup. Direct to [[Infrastructure:Network]] with talkinga about specific IPs and mention that link a lot throughout the page when we fix the wiki so this isn't confused [[Infrastructure:Network]] and move Historic section to [[Category:Deprecated]] and leave a link here
This is == IPv4 ==Most Internet-connected computers communicate using Internet Protocol version 4, usually abbreviated IPv4. IPv4 assigns an address to each computer. These addresses are 32 bits long, and can be written as a period-separated list of four numbers from zero to 255. One example would be 192.168.1.1, an attempt address commonly given to document VTLUUG's overly complex home networking setupequipment. Apologies The 32-bit address space of IPv4 allows for about four billion addresses. Given that there are over six billion people on the disorganizationplanet,this is mainly just a it's clear that these addresses will eventually run out. It turns out that due to the way to get everything these addresses are allocated in one placeblocks, we actually already have run out. --[[User:Mjh|Mjh]] ([[User talk:Mjh|talk]]) 21:43, 28 December 2014 (EST
Note: This == IPv6 ==Enter IP version 6, or IPv6. IPv6 uses 128 bits for each address, but is extraordinarily datednot yet very widely used. Revisions are in progressVirginia Tech, but currentlybeing the cutting edge institution it is, do already supports IPv6 campus-wide. While this does not consider it directly affect your computing experience, connecting your computer to a native IPv6 networks has a few implications you should be aware of. == Stateless Autoconfiguration and Privacy Extensions == In IPv4, a computer would need to betold its address either manually or by using a network service called DHCP. In DHCP, the computer asks a server to assign it an IP address that is not in use by anyone else.remotely correctIn IPv6, the address space is so large that a mechanism called "stateless autoconfiguration" can be used. In stateless autoconfiguration, a computer asks a nearby router for the network prefix (the first few digits of the IP address that will be the same for all computers on the network), and then the computer fills in the rest of the bits by using the hardware address of the network adapter. This means that by default, your IP address could be used to uniquely identify your computer anywhere on the Internet, threatening your privacy online. --[[User:echarlie|echarlie]]
== Current ==