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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →A dotted IP address is an IPv4 address written as four decimal numbers separated by periods. Each number represents an 8-bit part of the address and must be from 0 to 255 in the standard form. For example, 192.0.2.1 is an IPv4 address in dotted-decimal notation.
What the dots and numbers mean
An IPv4 address contains 32 bits. Dotted-decimal notation groups those bits into four 8-bit fields, called octets, and writes each field as a decimal number. The periods separate the four fields; they are not part of the underlying 32-bit address.
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RFC 820 describes this representation as four 8-bit fields written in decimal and separated by periods: RFC 820, “Assigned Numbers”. Its explanation is historical; the key point for readers is the 32-bit, four-field structure.
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RFC 3986 defines an IPv4 address as exactly four decimal components separated by periods, with each component in the range 0 through 255. Its grammar also does not permit arbitrary leading zeroes in a component. See RFC 3986, section 3.2.2 and the IPv4 address grammar.
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192.0.2.1has four decimal components in the permitted range.255.255.255.255uses the highest permitted value in each component.256.1.2.3does not fit the grammar because 256 exceeds the per-component limit.192.0.2does not fit the grammar because it has only three components.
These examples illustrate the RFC syntax; they are not reports of tests against particular software. Some platforms may accept or interpret other dotted forms. Whether an abbreviated form or a component with leading zeroes is accepted depends on the specific parser or API, so do not assume that every program handles such input the same way.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is a dotted address IPv4 or IPv6?
The familiar four-number, period-separated form is IPv4. IPv6 has a different text syntax: it uses colon-separated hexadecimal groups rather than four decimal octets. RFC 3986 specifies IPv4 and IPv6 literals separately. Therefore, “dotted IP address” usually means an IPv4 address in dotted-decimal notation, not every kind of IP address.
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