Private network

A private network is a computer network that utilises a private address space of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. In the context of Internet networking, a private network is a computer network. These addresses are often used for local area networks (LANs) in a variety of settings, including home, workplace, and commercial organisations. The IPv4 and IPv6 standards each have their own way of defining private IP address ranges.

Addresses in private networks are not assigned to any one company or organisation in particular. There is no need to get permission from any regional or municipal Internet registries in order to use these addresses. Initially, private IP address spaces were developed so that there would be some assistance in postponing the expiration of IPv4 addresses. It is not possible for IP packets to be routed over the public Internet if they originate from or are directed to a private IP address.

The link-local address range is utilised by a different category of private networking. The range of operation for link-local addresses is limited to a single link; for example, they can only be used on one wireless network or among all of the computers that are linked to a single switch. Hosts that are located on opposite sides of a network bridge are connected to the same link. In contrast, hosts that are located on opposite sides of a network router are connected to separate connections.

Both RFC 6890 and RFC 3927 detail the format for link-local addresses in IPv4 networks. Zero-configuration networking is a useful use for them since it eliminates the need for manual setup by a network administrator in situations when Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) services are unavailable. Because of this, the block number 169.254.0.0/16 was set aside for you. If a host on an IEEE 802 (Ethernet) network is unable to get a network address from the DHCP server, then it is possible that the host will be given an address in the range of 169.254.1.0 to 169.254.254.255. The standard requires that any occurrences of address collisions be handled in a smooth manner.

IP address autoconfiguration will use the fe80::/10 block that is allotted for that purpose in IPv6. Due to the fact that several IPv6 protocol functionalities are dependent on them, the implementation of these link-local addresses is required to take place.