|  |  | Summary
In a TCP/IP environment, end stations communicate with servers or other end stations. This occurs because each node using the TCP/IP protocol suite has a unique 32-bit logical address known as the IP address. An IP address with a subnet address on an interface achieves three purposes: It enables the system to process the receipt and transmission of packets. It specifies the device's local address. It specifies a range of addresses that share the cable with the device. Broadcast messages are those you want every host on the network to see. You use the ip address command to establish the logical network address of this interface. The ip host command makes a static name-to-address entry in the router's configuration file. The ip name-server command defines which hosts can provide the name service. The show hosts command is used to display a cached list of host names and addresses. telnet, ping, and trace commands can be used to verify IP address configuration.