Chapter 2 - Microsoft TCP/IP 2000

Abstract

This chapter discusses the basics of the new features in Windows 2000 Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and includes some background on TCP/IP. Windows 2000 has added and enhanced a number of protocols and services related to TCP/IP. Windows 2000 includes excellent support for Windows 95/98 workstations, Novell 3.x and 4.x servers, and even Macintosh workstations. TCP/IP is a network protocol based on a 32-bit addressing scheme that enables networks to be interconnected with routers. The bits in each address are separated into four sets of eight bits, called octets, which are separated by periods. With the binary number system, 8 bits can be used to signify any number from 0 to 255, so the lowest IP address is 0.0.0.0, while the highest is 255.255.255.255. Each device or host on the network must have a unique IP address to communicate on the network. In order to communicate on the Internet, IP addresses must be registered with the organizations that manage the Internet so that routing can be configured correctly. There are two commonly used network addresses that are reserved for private use and are not routed on the Internet. These two network addresses, 10.0.0.0 and 192.168.0.0, that are used on networks are not connected to the Internet or connected by using network address translation (NAT) or proxy hosts. NAT and proxy hosts have two IP addresses—one on the private network and one registered on the Internet—and handle all communications between the private network and the Internet.