This chapter maps to topic 1.3 from the official CompTIA Network+ blueprint: Explain the purpose of IP addressing. The topics covered in this chapter include details regarding both IPv4 addressing and IPv6 addressing, from representation techniques and addressing properties to hierarchical design and IPv4-to-IPv6 transition.
IP addresses are used to logically identify devices in a network for reachability and to communicate. The Layer 3 dedicated network device is the router, which connects to a different network on each interface and routes packets between them.