IP Addressing and Subnetting

The concepts and application of IP addressing and subnetting may well be the most important topics to understand both for being a well-prepared network engineer and for being ready to do well on the ICND1, ICND2, and CCNA exams. To design a new network, engineers must be able to begin with some IP address range and break it into subdivisions called subnets, choosing the right size of each subnet to meet design requirements. Engineers need to understand subnet masks, and how to pick the right masks to implement the designs that were earlier drawn on paper. Even more often, engineers need to understand, operate, and troubleshoot pre-existing networks, tasks that require mastery of addressing and subnetting concepts and the ability to apply those concepts from a different perspective than when designing the network.