
In networking terminology, each device that needs a unique IP address in order to communicate over the network is called a “host.” Broadcast address and network address However, you can’t have the same IP address allocated to a device in one subnet and also to a device in another subnet. This uniqueness only applies to your network, so it doesn’t matter if some other network somewhere else is using the same addresses as you. There are 32 numbers in the binary version of the IP address and each can only be a zero or a one.Įach device on your network must have a unique IP address.

As that is just a representation of binary numbers, the actual maximum binary address is really 11111111.11111111.11111111.11111111. The maximum number allowed in any address space is 255.255.255.255. So, addresses run in order from 0.0.0.1 up to 0.0.0.255, and then the next address up is 0.0.1.0. The highest eight-digit binary number is 11111111, which is 255 in our regular decimal counting system. Each number in an address represents an underlying binary number of eight bits. The sequence of numbers works on base 256. Each eight-bit binary number is known as an octet. This is an identifier made up of four 8-bit numbers, which are separated by a dot (“.”). The term “subnetting” specifically applies to the addressing considerations for a system that includes subnets. The calculation of that range is the subject of IP subnetting. So, now you are learning about subnetting a network. This means that you need to reserve a range of IP addresses for each sub-network. The addresses in each sub-network should be contiguous. Once you have split up your network into sections, you need to count the number of devices that you have in each sub-network and allocate IP addresses to each. In this situation, breaking up the network into subnets is your best option. You may have very efficient equipment on your network, but if you have too many endpoints sharing a wire, users will complain that the network is slow and it is preventing them from doing their work effectively. So, the receiving application has to wait longer for the transfer to complete. When many endpoints use the same wire, the silence on the line that gives a transmitting network card an opportunity to send the next packet becomes rare. The network card has to check network availability for each packet that it sends. The application receiving the data will check the sequence of arriving packets and reassemble their data payload into a stream. In this instance, the amount of time that each device has to wait to get a clear shot at the wire makes the network “slow.” In order to avoid one user hogging the network and locking everyone else out, data transfers are split up into chunks. It will test the line to make sure there is no current charge on it and then put its signal onto the cable.Ĭongestion occurs when there are too many endpoints connected to the same wire. This collision avoidance is managed by the network card of each connected device. This is called a “ collision” and makes the transported data meaningless. If several endpoints send data at the same time, the charges that represent the data mingle. Only one source of signal can operate on the wire at one time. When electricity is applied to a wire, it takes possession of the entire length of that cable instantaneously. Data travels over the network as an electronic pulse applied to the wire. At some point in the network, traffic destined for several endpoints is going to travel down the same cable. Why subnet?Ī typical LAN is made up of wires connecting devices together that enable several endpoints to communicate, such as desktop PCs, printers, servers, and even telephones. This guide covers some of the fundamental address considerations and best practices you need to plan for when splitting up your network, along with the tools and practices you need to manage the new address space configuration.

Splitting up your network comes with many complications, but in most cases, common sense actually provides your best tool.

The allocation of address scopes can be a headache, and as your network grows, you will find it impossible to manually manage IP addresses. Subnetting allocates IP addresses to connected devices in a segmented network. Subnetting creates several interconnected networks under a single address space, viewing each section as a sub-network, or “subnet”, rather than a collection of independent networks. A subnet is a widely-used practice in network management that involves breaking up a network into sections.
