e super computers with thousands of users, regular PC's with only a couple of users, or specialized computers, like routers that connect networks together or to terminal servers that let terminals dial in and connect to other hosts. Below is a chart of the Internet Host Growth from May 1982 to July 1994. Each computer has its own host number. "Being computers, the kind of numbers hosts like are 32-bit binary numbers." (Hayden 32) Here is an example of a binary number: 1011010010010100100100101000 Binary numbers are easier to remember by breaking them up into eight 4-bit groups. "Then each group is translated into it's Hexadecimal equivalent." (Levine 18) So the number above would translate into this: B.49.49.28 This number is easier to use and remember. Every four digits in the binary number stands for one hexadecimal number. Below is a list of each four binary numbers and its hexadecimal equivalent. BINARY HEX EQUIVALENT 0000 0 0001 1 0010 2 0011 3 0100 4 0101 5 0110 6 0111 7 1000 8 1001 9 1010 A 1011 B 1100 C 1101 D 1110 E 1111 F To figure out the binary number in the example into its Hex equivalent is in this way: 1011 is the first four digits of the binary number. Looking at the table, it can be determined that its hexadecimal equivalent is a "B". The second set of four binary numbers is 0100. That changes into 4 and so on. The first four numbers of a host number tells you what class the network is. The chart bellow states classes and sizes: Class First Number Length of first Number Maximum Number of Hosts A 1-126 1 16,387,064 B 128-191 2 64,516 C 192-223 3 254 Big companies like IBM and Apple usually have class A networks. "For example, IBM has network 9, and AT&T has network 12, so a host number 9.12.34.56 would be at IBM, and 12.98.76.54 would be at AT&T." (Levine 19) Medium sized companies and universities have class B networks. "Rutgers University has network 128.6 and Goldman Sachs has network 138.8" (Levine 19) Small organiza...
