In a 32-bit
IP address, the number of bits used to identify the network and the host vary according to the network class of the address. In a
Class C network, the first 3 bits, or the
high-order bits, are always "110." The next 21 bits are used to define the Class C network, and the final eight bits are used to identify the host. The IP address is represented in dotted decimal notation of four 8-bit fields, or
octets, that have been converted from binary to decimal numbers.
