Can Two IP Addresses Be Same

No, two IP addresses cannot be the same in a single network as each IP address serves as a unique identifier for a device connected to a network. In IPv4, an IP address is a 32-bit binary number, typically represented in dotted-decimal notation, that uniquely identifies a device on a TCP/IP network. In IPv6, an IP address is a 128-bit binary number, represented in hexadecimal notation, that also uniquely identifies a device on a TCP/IP network.

IP Address Structure

An IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions in IP networks: host or network interface identification and location addressing.

There are two versions of IP addresses in use today − IPv4 and IPv6.

• An IPv4 address is 32 bits long, written in four decimal numbers separated by periods (also called a "dotted-decimal" notation), with each number representing 8 bits of the address. For example, the IP address "192.168.0.1" represents the 32-bit binary number "11000000.10101000.00000000.00000001".

• An IPv6 address is 128 bits long, represented in 8 groups of 4 hexadecimal digits separated by colons. For example, the IP address "2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334" represents the 128-bit binary number "0010000000000001:0000110110111000:1000001011010001:0000000000000000:

  0000000000000000: 1000101000101110:000000011:0111001101001100".

IPv4 addresses are divided into 5 classes (A, B, C, D and E) based on the value of their first octet. IPv6 does not have classes.

IPv4 addresses are divided into two parts, the network prefix, and the host identifier. In IPv6, addresses are divided into three parts, the prefix, subnet ID, and the interface ID.

Usually, the IP addresses are assigned by the network administrator or by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.

Private and Public IPs

An IP address can be either private or public.

Private IP addresses are used for devices on a private network, such as a home or office network. These addresses are not globally unique and cannot be accessed directly from the Internet. Examples of private IP address ranges include −

10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255 (class A)

172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255 (class B)

192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255 (class C)

These private IP addresses are commonly used for devices like computers, printers, and routers in a home or office network, and are assigned by the network administrator or by a DHCP server. These addresses are translated to public IP addresses, typically assigned by an ISP, when the device accesses the internet via a NAT (Network Address Translation) gateway.

Public IP addresses, on the other hand, are unique addresses that can be accessed directly from the Internet. These addresses are typically assigned by an ISP (Internet Service Provider) and are used for devices that need to be accessible from the Internet, such as servers, websites, and email servers. Public IP addresses are globally unique and are not used within a private network, so different organizations can use the same IP address ranges.

It is also worth noting, that there is also a concept of Dynamic IP and Static IP. Where dynamic IP addresses are assigned to a device on a network that change over time, static IP addresses are assigned to a device and remain the same over time. Typically, home internet users are assigned dynamic IPs, while businesses and organizations that need to host servers or other publicly-accessible resources will typically have static IPs.

Why two IP address can't be same

Two IP addresses cannot be the same in a single network because each IP address serves as a unique identifier for a device connected to that network. This is necessary for proper network communication, as it allows devices to communicate with each other by identifying the source and destination of each packet of data sent over the network.

When a device on the network sends a packet of data, it includes the source IP address in the packet's header. This allows the destination device to know where the packet is coming from and to send a response back to the correct device. If two devices on the network had the same IP address, the destination device would not be able to tell which device the packet was actually sent from, and the network communication would fail.

In the same way, when a device receives a packet of data, it checks the destination IP address in the packet's header to determine if the packet is intended for itself or if it should be forwarded to another device. If two devices on the network had the same IP address, it would not be possible to determine which device the packet is meant for, and the network communication would fail.

IP addresses are unique within a network and are not allowed to be repeated for any device connected to that network.

Conclusion

In conclusion, IP addresses are unique identifiers assigned to devices connected to a network that use the Internet Protocol for communication. It is necessary that each device has a unique IP address within a network so that network communication can function properly. Each IP packet has source and destination address and each device uses that information to send and receive the packets, If two device share same IP, network communication between them would fail as network doesn't know which device to send the packets to. IP addresses allow devices to communicate with each other by identifying the source and destination of each packet of data sent over the network, without them the communication would not be possible.