Subnetting is a fundamental concept in networking, and if you are pursuing a career in IT, you must have a basic understanding of this concept. The term ‘subnetting’ refers to the process of dividing an IP address range into smaller parts known as subnets. In this article, we will explore subnetting and its importance in computer networking.
What is Subnetting?
When you are assigned an IP address range, it is usually in the form of a 32-bit binary number, which consists of four octets (8-bit numbers) separated by dots. For example, 192.168.1.1 is a commonly used IP address for local area networks (LANs). The first three octets (192.168.1) represent the network portion, while the last octet (1) represents the host portion.
Subnetting is the process of dividing the host portion of the IP address into smaller subnets. This allows you to allocate addresses more efficiently, as well as improve network performance.
Why is Subnetting Important?
Subnetting is essential in large networks because it helps to conserve IP addresses. Instead of assigning a unique IP address to each device on the network, you can allocate a smaller number of IP addresses to subnets and then divide those subnets into smaller sub-subnets. This way, you can assign IP addresses to devices only if they are required.
Subnetting also enables you to isolate the network traffic between different subnets. For example, if you have a network with different departments, you can create subnets for each department and restrict access between them to improve network security.
How to Subnet a Network
Subnetting a network involves converting the decimal IP address into binary form and dividing it into network and host portions. You then determine the number of bits required for the subnetting by subtracting the number of bits used for the network portion from the total number of bits in the IP address. This number of bits determines the size of the subnet mask used.
For example, if you have an IP address range of 192.168.1.0/24 and you want to create four subnets, you need to borrow two bits from the host portion of the IP address. This means you need a subnet mask of 255.255.255.192 (/26) to create four subnets with 62 host addresses each.
Conclusion
In conclusion, subnetting is a crucial concept in computer networking as it helps to conserve IP addresses, improve network performance, and increase network security. To subnet a network, you need to convert the IP address into binary form and divide it into network and host portions. It is essential to have a basic understanding of subnetting as it is a fundamental concept in IT.