Continuing from the previous discussion, today we’ll be talking about local area network IP addresses. Last time, in order to synchronize code, the server configured a proxy, and the server and the desktop computer in the house were able to connect to the network. Within a local area network, the proxy program was deployed on the desktop, and the server accessed the internet through the proxy. Code synchronization was very slow, so it was abandoned. Half a month later, when verifying the code on the server, the Git code synchronization failed with a network error. Without much thought, I examined the error message.

Incident Scene

fatal: unable to access ‘https://cnb.cool/ttf248/learn/cpp.git/’: Failed to connect to 10.243.52.68 port 7897 after 7 ms: Couldn’t connect to server

Incident Scene

Naturally, they assumed that there was no network isolation between Alibaba Cloud services and the Tencent Cloud Native Development Platform, leading to code synchronization failures and error messages being thrown into the group. Smart people in the group saw the port information and said, “Is this a proxy IP? Then immediately someone said, ‘You’re using a local network, and the domain name resolution is incorrect,’ and it was in the midst of memory loss, completely forgetting that they had configured a proxy.” Seeing the word local network, their brains returned to normal, and they remembered configuring the proxy. The error address was the local network address of their home desktop computer.

Habitual thinking: 192.168.x.x is a local network address.

In computer networking, a Local Area Network (LAN) IP address refers to a private IP address used within a local network. These addresses are not directly exposed on the public internet and are primarily used for internal device communication. The 10.243.52.68 and 192.168.x.x you mentioned both belong to private IP address ranges, but they belong to different address ranges, and their application scenarios and logical planning also differ. Here’s a detailed comparison:

Private IP Address Classification and Ranges

According to RFC 1918, private IP addresses are divided into three ranges, each suitable for different sizes of local area networks:

| 10.0.0.0/8 | 255.0.0.0 | Approximately 16 million | Large enterprises, campus networks |

Private IP Address Classification and Ranges

Private IP Address Classification and Ranges

IP Address Resolution in Your Query:

• 10.243.52.68 Belongs to the 10.0.0.0/8 range, a typical address for large private networks, often used in enterprise local area networks or wide area networks (such as internal networks across multiple branches).
• 192.168.x.x Belongs to the 192.168.0.0/16 range, the most common address for small private networks, widely used in home routers and small offices etc.

Key Differences

Address Space Size

• 10.0.0.0/8: The address range of the subnet is 10.0.0.0 ~ 10.255.255.255, containing 16,777,216 available IP addresses, suitable for large networks (such as enterprises, schools, and data centers) that require a large number of IP addresses.
• 192.168.0.0/16: The address range is 192.168.0.0 ~ 192.168.255.255, containing only 65,536 available IP addresses, suitable for small networks with a low number of devices (such as home networks typically having fewer than fifty devices).

Subnetting Flexibility

• 10.0.0.0/8: Due to the large address space, it can be further divided into multiple subnets (such as 10.1.0.0/16, 10.2.0.0/16, etc.) using a subnet mask for layered network management and traffic isolation in larger networks.
• 192.168.0.0/16: Typically uses the default subnet mask 255.255.0.0; subnetting requirements are less frequent, suitable for simple flat network structures.

Common Use Cases

• 10.xxx.xxx.xxx:
  • Enterprise Internal Networks: such as multiple branches of multinational companies connected via VPN, each branch can be assigned a separate subnet (e.g., 10.1.1.0/24, 10.1.2.0/24).
  • Cloud Service Provider Internal Networks: private cloud environments like AWS and Alibaba Cloud often use the 10. address range.
  • Industrial Control Networks: some industrial equipment defaults to using the 10. address range.
• 192.168.xxx.xxx:
  • Home/Small Office: default addresses assigned by routers (e.g., 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).
  • Small Local Area Networks for Sharing: such as WiFi networks built through a router, the number of devices is typically less than 200.

Network Isolation

Both are private addresses and cannot be directly accessed from the public internet. They require a connection to the public network via NAT (Network Address Translation) or VPN. However, in practical usage:

• The 10. segment is commonly used for scenarios requiring more complex network architectures (such as subnets and VLAN segmentation).
• The 192.168. segment is preferred due to its smaller address space, making it suitable for plug-and-play simple networks.

Why are you seeing addresses in the 10. segment?

If you encounter addresses like 10.243.52.68 on your local network, possible reasons include:

1. Enterprise Network Environment: Your company or organization may use the 10. segment as an internal IP address to differentiate between departments or devices (such as servers and office computers).

2. Virtual Machine or Container Networks: Cloud platforms (like VMware, Docker) often default to using the 10. segment for assigning IP addresses to virtual machines.

3. Device Default Configuration: Some network devices (such as industrial switches and firewalls) may be pre-configured with the 10. segment by the manufacturer.

Summary: How to Choose?

• Small Networks (Home/Office): Prioritize 192.168.x.x, simple configuration and sufficient for use.
• Medium to Large Networks (Enterprise/Campus): Use 10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x for subnetting and managing a large number of devices.

Both are fundamentally local area network addresses, the difference lies in address space and applicable scenarios, with no technical superiority – it depends on the networking planning needs.