Private Network

A Private Network is a computer network that creates controlled network spaces (to enable network isolation and address management).

• AKA: Internal Network, Local Network, Private Address Network.
• Context:
  • It can implement Network Addressing through private IP addresses.
  • It can maintain Network Isolation through address space separation.
  • It can enable Network Security through access control.
  • It can support Resource Sharing through internal routing.
  • ...
  • It can often provide Network Management through address allocation.
  • It can often facilitate Network Connectivity through internal DNS.
  • It can often manage Network Traffic through local routing.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Home Network to being an Enterprise Network, depending on its network scale.
  • It can range from being a Basic Private Network to being an Advanced Private Network, depending on its network capability.
  • ...
  • It can integrate with Internet through network address translator.
  • It can connect to Public Network through proxy server.
  • It can support Virtual Private Network for remote access.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Private Network Types, such as:
    • IPv4 Private Networks, such as:
      • Class A Private Network (10.0.0.0/8) for large scale deployment.
      • Class B Private Network (172.16.0.0/12) for medium scale deployment.
      • Class C Private Network (192.168.0.0/16) for small scale deployment.
    • IPv6 Private Networks, such as:
      • Unique Local Address Network (fc00::/7) for IPv6 local communication.
      • Link Local Network (fe80::/10) for single link communication.
  • Private Network Implementations, such as:
    • Corporate Private Networks, such as:
      • Enterprise LAN for office network.
      • Data Center Network for server infrastructure.
    • Home Private Networks, such as:
      • Home LAN for residential network.
      • Small Office Network for SOHO deployment.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Public Network, which uses globally routable addresses rather than private addresses.
  • Virtual Network, which creates network overlays rather than physical networks.
  • Peer-to-Peer Network, which uses dynamic addressing rather than static private addressing.
• See: Network Address Translation, IP Addressing, Network Isolation, Local Area Network, Network Security, RFC 1918, RFC 4193.

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References

2014

• (Wikipedia, 2014) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/private_network Retrieved:2014-11-25.
  • In the Internet addressing architecture, a private network is a network that uses private IP address space, following the standards set by RFC 1918 for Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4), and RFC 4193 for Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). These addresses are commonly used for home, office, and enterprise local area networks (LANs), when globally routable addresses are not mandatory, or are not available for the intended network applications. Under IPv4, the private IP address spaces were originally defined in an effort to delay IPv4 address exhaustion, but they are also a feature of IPv6, the next generation Internet Protocol.

    These addresses are characterized as private because they are not globally delegated, meaning that they are not allocated to any specific organization, and IP packets addressed with them cannot be transmitted through the public Internet. Anyone may use these addresses without approval from a regional Internet registry (RIR). If such a private network needs to connect to the Internet, it must use either a network address translator (NAT) gateway, or a proxy server.

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