Class B IP addresses are a category of IPv4 addresses designated for medium-sized to large networks. They have a specific range of addresses defined by the values in the first octet of the IP address. In IPv4, an IP address is a 32-bit number divided into four 8-bit octets. The Class B IP address range is characterized by the first octet values falling within the range of 128 to 191.
The Class B IP address format is as follows:
N.N.H.H- N.N represents the network identifier, which is the first two octets ranging from 128.0 to 191.255.
- H.H represents the host identifier, which can vary from 0.0 to 255.255 within the specified network.
Here are some examples of Class B IP address ranges:
- 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255
- 129.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255
- 130.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255
- …
- 190.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255
Class B addresses offer a larger number of possible networks compared to Class A, making them suitable for organizations that require a significant number of host addresses but don’t need the entire address space available in Class A. Each Class B network can accommodate up to 65,534 host addresses.
It’s important to note that Class B IP addresses, like Class A, are also subject to address exhaustion due to the limited pool of available IPv4 addresses. With the advent of IPv6, which provides a vastly expanded address space, the internet has transitioned toward IPv6 adoption to address the growing need for IP addresses in an increasingly connected world. IPv6 addresses do not use the traditional class-based system and offer a practically unlimited number of unique addresses.