A subnet mask defines the part of an IP address that is the network ID and the part of an IP address that is the host ID. A subnet mask is composed of four octets, similar to an IP address.
In simple IP networks, the subnet mask defines full octets as part of the network ID and host ID. A 255 represents an octet that is the part of the network ID, and 0 represents an octet that is part of the host ID. In complex IP networks, octets can be subdivided.
Why a subnet mask is required ?
When a computer delivers an IP packet, it uses the subnet mask to validate whether the destination is on the same network or on a remote network. If the destination is on the same network, the packet can be delivered by the computer. If the destination is on the different network, the computer must send the packet to a router for delivery.
To make you understand about subnet mask, I give you a simple example
View the Original article
No comments:
Post a Comment