In an IPv4 address, which two components are typically identified?

In an IPv4 address, the two primary components identified are the host and the network. The network portion of the address designates the specific network segment a device belongs to, while the host portion identifies the individual device (or host) within that network.

When an IPv4 address is written in its standard dotted-decimal format, such as 192.168.1.10, the subnet mask (often expressed in CIDR notation, like /24) helps determine which part of the address refers to the network and which part refers to the host. This structure is fundamental to IP addressing, allowing devices to communicate within their local networks and to distinguish between different devices on the same network.

The other choices, while related to networking concepts, do not accurately reflect the fundamental components of an IPv4 address. For example, routers and switches are devices used within networks, but they are not components of an IP address. Clients and servers represent roles that devices may take in a network but are not specified in an IPv4 address itself. Subnets and gateways are important in networking, but they serve different purposes—subnets relate to dividing a network, and gateways are points of access to other networks rather than being part of the IP structure.

F