[NTLUG:Discuss] OT slightly

[Merlin]

Quoting Ken Frazer <frazer at acm.org>:

> At 06:56 PM 3/7/2003 -0600, you wrote:
> >OT slightly - when someone expresses a network as "63.83.66.0/24" what are
> 
> >they saying?

> It's an IP address of 63.83.66.0 with a netmask that has 24 bits set, ie; 
> 255.255.255.0
> 

Which means that any address from 63.83.66.0 through 63.83.66.255 is valid, 
excpeting the reserved addresses of course.

It is basically a shorthand for subnetting and representing the subnet mask.

Remember that there are 32 bits to an IP address.  So, a network of 
63.83.66.0/32 would (IIRC) represent the sole address of 63.83.66.255.

A network declared as 63.83.0.0/16 would represent everything from 63.83.0.0 
through 63.83.255.255.

I had this discussion at work the other day and it devolved into a 30 minute 
discussion of binary mathematics.  For some reason we found this interesting.  
Of course, I'm a programmer and he is a network engineer, so I guess we qualify 
as geeks.  *grin*

-- 
Merlin
"Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards,
for they are subtle and quick to anger."