IP addresses, network addressing, routing, and forwarding are important and
related concepts in Internet networking. An IP address is an identifier
for a network node such as a PC, server, router, or bridge. Network
addressing is the system used to assign these identifiers in convenient
groups. Routing keeps track of where in the network these groups may be
found. The results of the routing process is kept in a list called a routing
table. Forwarding is the action of using the routing table to send a
data packet to either the final destination or to the “next hop” which is closer
to the destination.
