loopback address
CCNA
Special-Purpose IP Addresses – IPv4 and IPv6 (Updated April 2025)
IP addresses are the backbone of network communication, but not all IP addresses are created equal. Some are reserved for special purposes, serving unique roles in networking, from local testing to private networks and multicast applications. As of April 2025, with IPv6 adoption surpassing 70% of global internet traffic (per industry estimates), understanding both IPv4...
CCNA
Host Forwarding Decisions: How Hosts Actually Route Their Own Traffic
Every networked device, whether it’s a dedicated router or an ordinary laptop, has to decide how to get a packet toward its destination. Routers specialize in this, but end hosts, PCs, servers, phones, make their own forwarding decisions too, using a much simpler process built on subnetting, a minimal routing table, and address resolution. This...