IP Addressing & Subnetting
1. Introduction to IP Addressing
IP Addressing is a fundamental concept in networking, used to identify devices on a network. Every device that communicates on a network is assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is either in IPv4 or IPv6 format.
IPv4: A 32-bit address represented in decimal form.
IPv6: A 128-bit address designed to replace IPv4 due to the shortage of IPv4 addresses.
2. IPv4 Address Structure
IPv4 Addressing: IPv4 addresses are 32-bit numbers, written as four decimal numbers separated by dots (called "dotted decimal notation"). Each decimal number represents an 8-bit section (or octet) of the 32-bit address.
Example of an IPv4 address:
Binary Representation: Each octet in an IPv4 address can be represented as 8 bits in binary.
Example:
Each of these binary values represents part of the address, where:
192 =
11000000168 =
101010001 =
0000000110 =
00001010
3. Class-Based IP Addressing
Classful Addressing divides IP addresses into five classes (A, B, C, D, and E), based on their leading bits and ranges. This was the earlier method of assigning IP addresses.
IP Address Classes
Class
Leading Bits
Range
Default Subnet Mask
Use
A
0
0.0.0.0 to 127.255.255.255
255.0.0.0
Large networks
B
10
128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255
255.255.0.0
Medium-sized networks
C
110
192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255
255.255.255.0
Small networks
D
1110
224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255
-
Multicasting
E
1111
240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255
-
Experimental and reserved use
Class A: For large organizations and ISPs. E.g., 10.0.0.0/8 (Private range).
Class B: For medium-sized organizations. E.g., 172.16.0.0/12 (Private range).
Class C: For small networks, commonly used for home networks. E.g., 192.168.0.0/16 (Private range).
Class D: Reserved for multicast addresses.
Class E: Reserved for experimental purposes.
Private vs. Public Addresses
Public IP addresses: Globally unique and routable on the internet.
Private IP addresses: Not routable on the internet and used within private networks.
Private IP ranges (for Class A, B, and C):
Class A: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
Class B: 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
Class C: 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
4. CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing)
What is CIDR?
CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) was introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the older classful networking system (Class A, B, C, etc.). CIDR allows for more flexible and efficient use of IP addresses by removing the fixed boundaries of class-based IP addresses. Instead of rigid network classes, CIDR enables networks to be split (subnetted) or grouped (supernetted) as needed, improving IP address allocation.
Why was CIDR Introduced?
IPv4 Address Exhaustion: The Internet grew exponentially, and the rigid class-based system couldn't allocate IP addresses efficiently. Large blocks of addresses were being wasted (for example, an organization might be given a whole Class B address block with 65,536 IP addresses, even though it only needed 1,000). This led to a rapid depletion of available IPv4 addresses.
Improved Routing Efficiency: Without CIDR, routers had to store vast numbers of routing table entries for every network. CIDR aggregates multiple IP addresses into a single routing entry (route aggregation or supernetting), simplifying routing decisions.
CIDR Notation Structure
A CIDR IP address is written as:
Where:
IP Address: The starting IP address of the network.
Subnet Mask Prefix: The number of bits used for the network portion, represented after a forward slash.
For example:
192.168.1.0: This is the base (or starting) address of the network.
/24: This is the CIDR prefix that tells us that the first 24 bits are reserved for the network, and the remaining 8 bits can be used for host addresses.
How CIDR Works
CIDR allows for more fine-grained control over the size of your network by adjusting the number of bits in the subnet mask (prefix length). The more bits you dedicate to the network portion, the fewer bits you have available for hosts (and vice versa).
Network Portion: The part of the IP address that identifies the network.
Host Portion: The part of the IP address that identifies specific devices (hosts) within that network.
CIDR Notation and Subnet Mask Relationship
In the traditional class-based system:
Class A used a subnet mask of
255.0.0.0or/8(8 bits for network).Class B used a subnet mask of
255.255.0.0or/16(16 bits for network).Class C used a subnet mask of
255.255.255.0or/24(24 bits for network).
With CIDR, we can use any number of bits for the network portion, giving much more flexibility.
Subnet Masks in CIDR
The subnet mask defines how many bits are used for the network portion versus the host portion. A subnet mask is a 32-bit binary number where the network bits are set to 1 and the host bits are set to 0.
For example:
CIDR Subnetting in Detail
Let’s take a network 192.168.1.0/24 and subnet it further using CIDR notation:
Original Network: Network:
192.168.1.0Subnet Mask:/24(255.255.255.0) This means the first 24 bits are for the network, and the remaining 8 bits are for hosts.
Subnetting the /24 Network into Smaller Networks
We can further divide the /24 network by adjusting the subnet mask. Let’s divide it into 4 subnets. To do this, we need to borrow 2 bits from the host portion.
Calculate New Subnet Mask: Borrowing 2 bits means the network portion will now have 26 bits (
24 + 2 = 26), resulting in a new subnet mask of/26.Binary representation of
/26:11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000 = 255.255.255.192Determine the Number of Hosts per Subnet: The remaining bits for hosts are
32 - 26 = 6. With 6 bits, we can have:2^6 = 64 addresses (but 2 are reserved: 1 for the network address and 1 for the broadcast address).
Usable hosts per subnet =
64 - 2 = 62.
List the Subnets: Let’s divide
192.168.1.0/24into four/26subnets:Subnet 1: Network Address:
192.168.1.0/26Range:192.168.1.1to192.168.1.62Broadcast Address:192.168.1.63Subnet 2: Network Address:
192.168.1.64/26Range:192.168.1.65to192.168.1.126Broadcast Address:192.168.1.127Subnet 3: Network Address:
192.168.1.128/26Range:192.168.1.129to192.168.1.190Broadcast Address:192.168.1.191Subnet 4: Network Address:
192.168.1.192/26Range:192.168.1.193to192.168.1.254Broadcast Address:192.168.1.255
CIDR Supernetting
CIDR also allows for supernetting, which is the process of combining multiple smaller networks into one larger network. This is done by reducing the number of bits used for the network portion.
For example, if you want to combine two /24 networks, 192.168.1.0/24 and 192.168.2.0/24, into one larger network, you would:
Look at the first 23 bits instead of 24 bits, resulting in a network like
192.168.0.0/23.This covers both
192.168.1.0and192.168.2.0networks in one, creating a larger network with more IP addresses.
CIDR Examples
Let’s walk through more examples for clarity:
Example 1: Subnetting a
/16NetworkGiven network:
172.16.0.0/16. You want to create subnets with a maximum of 254 hosts each.To do this, you need a subnet mask of
/24(which allows for 256 IP addresses per subnet, but 254 usable addresses).
Resulting subnets:
172.16.0.0/24: 254 hosts (172.16.0.1 - 172.16.0.254)172.16.1.0/24: 254 hosts (172.16.1.1 - 172.16.1.254)And so on...
Example 2: Supernetting
You have two networks,
192.168.10.0/24and192.168.11.0/24, and you want to supernet them into one larger network.The supernet would be
192.168.10.0/23, which combines both/24networks.
Benefits of CIDR
More Efficient Address Allocation: CIDR allows networks of various sizes to be allocated IP address space without the wasteful fixed blocks of classful addressing.
Reduces Routing Table Size: CIDR enables route aggregation, reducing the number of routes that routers need to store and process.
Enables Both Subnetting and Supernetting: CIDR can be used to either break down larger networks into smaller subnets or combine smaller networks into larger supernets.
Subnet Calculators and Tools:
IP Subnet Calculator by SolarWinds: This tool is one of the most user-friendly subnet calculators, perfect for calculating subnets, CIDR ranges, and IP address allocation.
Subnet Calculator: Another excellent online tool that lets you input CIDR notation and quickly get detailed network ranges, subnet masks, and host ranges.
CIDR and IP Address Exhaustion Resources:
IETF RFC 1519 – CIDR: An Address Assignment and Aggregation Strategy For a more technical deep dive, you can read the original specification of CIDR as proposed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
IANA IPv4 Address Space Allocation: The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) manages the global allocation of IP addresses. This resource provides up-to-date information on IPv4 address exhaustion and allocation policies.
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