Skip to main content

Classes of network IP addresses

Classes of network IP addresses
10.3.1 This page will review the classes of IP addresses. The combined classes of IP addresses offer a range from 256 to 16.8 million hosts.


To efficiently manage a limited supply of IP addresses, all classes can be subdivided into smaller subnetworks. Figure provides an overview of the division between networks and hosts.

The next page will explain why subnetting is important

Introduction to and reason for subnetting
10.3.2 This page will describe how subnetting works and why it is important.


To create the subnetwork structure, host bits must be reassigned as network bits. This is often referred to as ‘borrowing’ bits. However, a more accurate term would be ‘lending’ bits. The starting point for this process is always the leftmost host bit, the one closest to the last network octet.

Subnet addresses include the Class A, Class B, and Class C network portion, plus a subnet field and a host field. The subnet field and the host field are created from the original host portion of the major IP address. This is done by re-assigning bits from the host portion to the original network portion of the address. - The ability to divide the original host portion of the address into the new subnet and host fields provides addressing flexibility for the network administrator.

In addition to the need for manageability, subnetting enables the network administrator to provide broadcast containment and low-level security on the LAN. Subnetting provides some security since access to other subnets is only available through the services of a router. Further, access security may be provided through the use of access lists. These lists can permit or deny access to a subnet, based on a variety of criteria, thereby providing more security. Access lists will be studied later in the curriculum. Some owners of Class A and B networks have also discovered that subnetting creates a revenue source for the organization through the leasing or sale of previously unused IP addresses.

Subnetting is an internal function of a network. From the outside, a LAN is seen as a single network with no details of the internal network structure. This view of the network keeps the routing tables small and efficient. Given a local node address of 147.10.43.14 on subnet 147.10.43.0, the world outside the LAN sees only the advertised major network number of 147.10.0.0. The reason for this is that the local subnet address of 147.10.43.0 is only valid within the LAN where subnetting is applied.

The next page will discuss subnet masks.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OSI layers / Peer-to-peer communications / TCP/IP model

OSI layers 2.3.4 This page discusses the seven layers of the OSI model. The OSI reference model is a framework that is used to understand how information travels throughout a network. The OSI reference model explains how packets travel through the various layers to another device on a network, even if the sender and destination have different types of network media. In the OSI reference model, there are seven numbered layers, each of which illustrates a particular network function. - Dividing the network into seven layers provides the following advantages: • It breaks network communication into smaller, more manageable parts. • It standardizes network components to allow multiple vendor development and support. • It allows different types of network hardware and software to communicate with each other. • It prevents changes in one layer from affecting other layers. • It divides network communication into smaller parts to make learning it easier to understand. In the foll...
Post a Comment
Read more

PC Basic...

• Backplane – A backplane is an electronic circuit board containing circuitry and sockets into which additional electronic devices on other circuit boards or cards can be plugged; in a computer, generally synonymous with or part of the motherboard. • Network interface card (NIC) – An expansion board inserted into a computer so that the computer can be connected to a network. • Video card – A board that plugs into a PC to give it display capabilities. • Audio card – An expansion board that enables a computer to manipulate and output sounds. • Parallel port – An interface capable of transferring more than one bit simultaneously that is used to connect external devices such as printers. • Serial port – An interface that can be used for serial communication in which only one bit is transmitted at a time. • Mouse port – A port used to connect a mouse to a PC. • USB port – A Universal Serial Bus connector. A USB port connects devices such as a mouse or printer to the computer ...
Post a Comment
Read more

1.2.2 RIP V2 Features

 1.2.2 RIP V2 Features This page will discuss RIP v2, which is an improved version of RIP v1. Both versions of RIP share the following features: It is a distance vector protocol that uses a hop count metric. It uses hold down timers to prevent routing loops – default is 180 seconds. It uses split horizon to prevent routing loops. It uses 16 hops as a metric for infinite distance. RIP v2 provides prefix routing, which allows it to send out subnet mask information with the route update. Therefore, RIP v2 supports the use of classless routing in which different subnets within the same network can use different subnet masks, as in VLSM. RIP v2 provides for authentication in its updates. A set of keys can be used on an interface as an authentication check. RIP v2 allows for a choice of the type of authentication to be used in RIP v2 packets. The choice can be either clear text or Message-Digest 5 (MD5) encryption. Clear text is the default. MD5 can be used t...
Post a Comment
Read more