A group of hosts that have identical bit patterns in the high-order bits of their addresses is called a network. This is because the high-order bits represent the network portion of the IP address, and all hosts within the same network share these bits in common
. In more detail:
- The IP address is divided into a network portion and a host portion.
- The network portion consists of the most significant (high-order) bits that are identical for all hosts in that network.
- The host portion consists of the remaining bits that uniquely identify each host within the network.
- This grouping allows devices to be logically organized and routed based on their network address
Thus, the term "network" specifically refers to this group of hosts sharing the same high-order bit pattern in their addresses.
