CIDR ADVANATAGES - kondareddypp/azure-network-fundamentals GitHub Wiki

Let's break down how IP addresses are structured using Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR).

Structure of IP Addresses in CIDR IP Address: An IP address in CIDR notation consists of two parts: the network prefix and the host identifier.

CIDR Notation: It uses a prefix length to specify the network portion of the address. This is written in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/n, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address and /n indicates the number of bits in the network prefix.

For example:

192.168.1.0/24:

192.168.1.0 is the IP address.

/24 means the first 24 bits are the network prefix, which corresponds to the subnet mask 255.255.255.0.

Breakdown Network Prefix: The network prefix determines the network's size and which portion of the IP address identifies the network. ISn the example 192.168.1.0/24, the 192.168.1 part is the network prefix.

Host Identifier: The remaining bits after the network prefix specify individual hosts within the network. In the example 192.168.1.0/24, the last 8 bits are used to identify hosts.

Example Subnet Masks /8 (255.0.0.0): 8 bits for the network, 24 bits for hosts (16,777,214 hosts per network).

/16 (255.255.0.0): 16 bits for the network, 16 bits for hosts (65,534 hosts per network).

/24 (255.255.255.0): 24 bits for the network, 8 bits for hosts (254 hosts per network).

Advantages Efficiency: CIDR allows for more efficient use of IP addresses by providing flexible allocation.

Simplified Routing: Aggregates multiple IP addresses into a single route, reducing the size of routing tables.

Scalability: Facilitates the creation of hierarchical, large-scale network designs.

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