Below is the lesson plan for an online Internet Protocol (IP) tutorial. Each lesson includes articles and other references that explain the basics of IP networking. It is best to complete these lessons in the order listed, but the concepts of IP networking can be learned in other progressions. People involved in home networking have different needs than someone working on a corporate network, for example.

IP addresses have certain rules for how they are constructed and written. Learn what IP addresses look like and how to find your IP address on different types of devices.

The numerical values of IP addresses fall within certain ranges. Some number ranges are restricted in how they can be used. Because of these restrictions, the process of IP address assignment becomes extremely important to get right. Check out the difference between private IP addresses and public IP addresses.

A device can get its IP address automatically from another device on the network, or it can sometimes be set up with its own fixed (hardcoded) number. Learn about DHCP and how to release and renew assigned IP addresses.