Lab 11
IPv4 Address Subnetting
In this lab we will learn about:
1. Subnetting of Classful IP Addressing
2. Classless Addressing
3. IP Subnet Addressing ("Subnetting") Concepts
4. IP Subnet Masks, Notation and Subnet Calculations
5. IP Default Subnet Masks for Address Classes A, B and C
6. Deciding How Many Subnet Bits to Use
7. Trading Off Bit Allocations to meet Subnetting Requirements
1. Subnetting of Classful IP Addressing
In the subnet addressing system, the two-tier network/host division of the IP address
is made into a three-tier system by taking some number of bits from a class A, B or C
host ID and using them for a subnet identifier or number. The network ID is
unchanged. The subnet ID is used for routing within the different subnetworks that
form a complete network, providing extra flexibility for administrators. For example,
consider a class C address that normally uses the first 24 bits for the network ID and
remaining 8 bits for the host ID. The host ID can be split into, say, 3 bits for a subnet
ID and 5 for the host ID.
2. Classless Addressing
In the classless system, the division between the network ID and host ID can occur at
an arbitrary point, not just on octet boundaries like in the “Classful” scheme. In the
original “Classful” scheme the division between network ID and host ID is implied.
However, if either Subnetting or classless addressing is used, then the subnet mask or
“slash number” are required to fully qualify the address.
3. IP Subnet Addressing ("Subnetting") Concepts
The original “Classful” IP addressing scheme conceptually divides a large
internetwork into a simple two-level hierarchy: many networks of different sizes, each
of which contains a number of hosts. The system works well for smaller organizations
that may connect all their machines in a single network. However, it lacks flexibility
for large organizations that often have many subnetworks, or subnets. To better meet
the administrative and technical requirements of larger organizations, the “Classful”
IP addressing system was enhanced through a technique known as subnet addressing,
or Subnetting.
A three-level hierarchy is thus created: networks, which contain subnets, each of
which then has a number of hosts.
4. IP Subnet Masks, Notation and Subnet Calculations
We use the subnet mask by applying the Boolean AND function between it and the IP
address to obtain the Network ID and subnet ID of that IP address.
Instead of specifying IP address of 154.71.150.42 with subnet mask of 255.255.248.0,
we can just say 154.71.150.42/21. This is sometimes called slash notation or
Classlesss Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) notation. It is more commonly used in
variable-length masking (VLSM) environments, and as the second name implies, is
also the standard for specifying classless addresses under the CIDR addressing
scheme.
5. IP Default Subnet Masks for Address Classes A, B and C
6. Deciding How Many Subnet Bits to Use
The key decision in Subnetting is how many bits to take from the host ID portion of
the IP address to put into the subnet ID. The number of subnets possible on our
network is two to the power of the number of bits we use to express the subnet ID,
and the number of hosts possible per subnet is two to the power of the number of bits
left in the host ID (less two, one for network id and one for broadcast).
7. Trading Off Bit Allocations to Meet Subnetting Requirements
The key design decision in Subnetting is how to divide the “Classful” host ID into
subnet ID and host ID bits. We must make this choice based on our requirements for
the number of subnets that exist in the network, and also on the maximum number of
hosts that need to be assigned to each subnet in the network.
