Chapter11.Internetworking with IP

Chapter 11. Internetworking with IP

Far from being a well-thought-out scheme, the Internet Protocol (IP) has emerged somewhat haphazardly over decades. The result is a protocol and addressing scheme that lets internetworks of global proportions be built of distributed networks. The IP address space plays a vital and active role in enabling that scalability. This chapter explores that active role and demonstrates how routers use the IP address space to calculate routes, as well as how network address information is disseminated throughout the Internet.