IPv4címkészlet

An IPv4címkészlet, or IPv4 address pool, refers to a collection of available IPv4 addresses that can be assigned to devices on a network. These addresses are essential for devices to communicate over the internet and other networks. The IPv4 protocol uses 32-bit addresses, which allow for approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses.

The management of IPv4 address pools is a critical task for network administrators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Due to the limited number of IPv4 addresses, the demand has significantly outstripped the supply, leading to address exhaustion. This scarcity has driven the development and adoption of IPv6, which offers a vastly larger address space.

IPv4 address pools can be allocated in various ways. Organizations might have their own internal pools for private network use, often managed through DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) servers. ISPs manage larger pools to assign public IP addresses to their customers. Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) like RIPE NCC, ARIN, and APNIC are responsible for allocating large blocks of IP addresses to ISPs and other organizations in their respective geographical regions.

When an IPv4 address is no longer in use by a device, it can be returned to the pool to be reassigned to another device. This dynamic allocation helps maximize the utilization of the available address space. However, the fundamental limitation of IPv4 remains, making the transition to IPv6 a necessary step for the continued growth of the internet.