Reading an IP range denoted with a "/24" involves understanding CIDR notation and what it signifies for network addressing. Essentially, "/24" defines the subnet mask, indicating how many bits of the IP address are dedicated to the network portion versus the host portion.
Understanding /24 in CIDR Notation
The "/24" refers to the Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) notation. It's a shorthand way of representing the subnet mask. According to our reference, in an IP address represented as 1.1/24, the /24 indicates that the first 24 bits are for the network address, and the remaining 8 bits are for host addresses.
Implications of /24
Here's what "/24" means in practical terms:
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Subnet Mask: A /24 corresponds to a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
-
Network Address: The first three octets of the IP address define the network.
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Host Addresses: The last octet defines the specific host within that network. Since 8 bits are available for host addresses, this allows for 28 (256) possible addresses. However, typically only 254 are usable (excluding the network address and the broadcast address).
Example
Let's say you have the IP address range 192.168.1.0/24. This tells you:
- Network Address: 192.168.1.0 is the network address.
- Usable Host Addresses: The usable IP addresses in this range are from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254.
- Broadcast Address: 192.168.1.255 is the broadcast address.
Table Summarizing /24
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| CIDR Notation | /24 |
| Subnet Mask | 255.255.255.0 |
| Network Bits | 24 |
| Host Bits | 8 |
| Max Hosts/Network | 256 |
| Usable Hosts/Network | 254 |
