INTRO

Hi today I aim to introduce you to SUBNETTING, actually, it is the most important step in networking, and through this blog, we'll understand why.

SUBNET

a subnet is to split a large network into a grouping of smaller, interconnected networks to help minimize traffic. This way, traffic doesn't have to flow through unnecessary routes, increasing network speeds, and efficiency.

SUBNET MASK

The subnet mask is a separator between the network part and the machine part of an IP address. The mask has the same structure as an IP address a series of 4 bytes or 32 bits created by setting host bits to all 0s and setting network bits to 1s. All 1s address "255" is always assigned to a broadcast address and the all 0s address is assigned to a network address.

what is a broadcast address?

the broadcast address allows information to be sent to all machines on a given subnet rather than to a specific machine.

The default subnet mask "IP addressing"

CALCULATE SUBNET MASK

there are two types of subnet masks. we got the fixed-length subnet mask "FLSM" also known as classful subnetting or traditional subnetting, where it takes a block of IP addresses and divides them into multiple subnets of equal length (an equal number of IP addresses).

and the variable-length subnet mask "VLSM" known as the classless subnetting, where each subnet has different lengths including different hosts and networks. VLSM may be considered the more modern and more efficient approach to subnetting.

CREATE A SUBNET

Before doing Subnetting it is necessary to determine the following points:

- Determine the number of network identifiers
- Determine the maximum number of machines in each subnet
- Set a netmask for the entire subnet
- Determine which subnet IDs are usable
- Determine valid machine identifiers and assign IP addresses to workstations

a full doc about how to create a subnet (FLSM/VLSM) coming in the next few days

to get a deep understanding of subnetting and how it actually works check out this YouTube vid