Understanding subnetting is crucial for network design and administration. This page provides a fundamental introduction to the concept.
Subnetting is the process of dividing a network into smaller, logical sub-networks. Each subnet has its own unique IP address range. This improves network security, efficiency, and manageability.
A subnet mask determines which part of an IP address represents the network portion and which part represents the host portion.
| Network Address | Subnet Mask | Number of Usable Hosts |
|---|---|---|
| 192.168.1.0 | 255.255.255.0 | 254 |
| 192.168.1.128 | 255.255.255.0 | 126 |
| 192.168.1.192 | 255.255.255.128 | 12 |
Remember: The number of usable hosts is calculated as 2(number of host bits) - 2 (for the network and broadcast addresses).