Interconnecting Cisco Networking

Devices Part 1
ICND1 100-105

Instructor
Paul A. Parker

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Chapter 21

Subnet Design

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 Chapter 21
Foundation Topics
v Choosing the Mask(s) to Meet Requirements
▼ The designer has to make choices based on the number of
subnets and host per subnet to meet requirements for the
network.
▼ The designer also has to choose whether to use a single subnet
mask as with a classful network or many subnet masks as with a
classless network.
▼ For Chapter 21 the premise is that the designer has chosen to
use a single mask for a classful network and in particular there
are three general cases for the design:
➘  No mask meets the requirements.
➘  One and only one mask meets the requirements.
➘  Multiple masks meet the requirements.

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 Chapter 21
Choosing the Mask(s) to Meet Requirements
v Review: Choosing the Minimum Number of Subnet and
Host Bits
▼ The designer must choose
S subnet bits so that the subnets
can be uniquely identified with
2S is as large as the number of required subnets.
▼ The designer must also use similar logic for the number of host
bits H accounting for the subnet ID and broadcast address so
that 2H-2 will provide as many hosts as the largest subnet.
▼ The formal process is as follows:
➘  Step 1. Determine the number of network bits (N) based on the class.
➘  Step 2. Determine the smallest value of S, so that 2S => X, where X
represents the required number of subnets.
➘  Step 3. Determine the smallest value of H, so that 2H – 2 => Y, where
Y represents the required number of hosts/subnet.

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 Chapter 21
Choosing the Mask(s) to Meet Requirements
v No Mask Meets Requirements
▼ When the sum of N, S, and H exceeds 32, then there is no mask
that will meet the requirements of the design.
v One Mask Meets Requirements
▼ When the sum of N, S, and H equals 32, then there is one and
only one mask that will meet the requirements of the design.
v Multiple Masks Meet Requirements
▼ When the sum of N, S, and H is less than 32, then there are
multiple masks that will meet the requirements of the design.

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 Chapter 21
Choosing the Mask(s) to Meet Requirements
v Multiple Masks Meet Requirements
▼ Finding All the Masks: Math
➘  Step 1. Calculate the shortest prefix mask (/P) based on the
minimum value of S, where P = N + S.
➘  Step 2. Calculate the longest prefix mask (/P) based on the
minimum value of H, where P = 32 – H.
➘  Step 3. The range of valid masks includes all /P values between the
two values calculated in the previous steps.

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 Chapter 21
Choosing the Mask(s) to Meet Requirements
v Multiple Masks Meet Requirements
▼ Choosing the Best Mask
➘  To maximize the number of hosts/subnet: To make this
choice, use the shortest prefix mask (that is, the mask with the
smallest /P value), because this mask has the largest host part.
➘  To maximize the number of subnets: To make this choice, use
the longest prefix mask (that is, the mask with the largest /P value),
because this mask has the largest subnet part.
➘  To increase both the numbers of supported subnets and
hosts: To make this choice, choose a mask in the middle of the
range, which gives you both more subnet bits and more host bits.

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 Chapter 21
Finding All Subnet IDs
v After the person designing the IP subnetting plan has
chosen one mask they will need to start assigning
specific subnet IDs for use in VLANs, serial links, and
other locations that require a subnet.

v First Subnet ID: The Zero Subnet

▼ The subnet is the zero subnet and no matter the network size the
zero subnet is the first (numerically lowest) subnet ID that is
equal to the network ID.

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 Chapter 21
Finding All Subnet IDs
v Finding the Pattern Using the Magic Number
▼ Subnet IDs follow a predictable pattern when using a single
subnet mask for all subnets of a network.
▼ The pattern uses the magic number which is 256 minus the
mask’s decimal value in the interesting octet.
▼ Example: Patterns with Magic Numbers for Masks /17 to /20

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 Chapter 21
Finding All Subnet IDs
v Formal Process
▼  Step 1. Write down the subnet mask, in decimal, in the first empty row of the
table.
▼  Step 2. Identify the interesting octet, which is the one octet of the mask with a
value other than 255 or 0. Draw a rectangle around the column of the interesting
octet.
▼  Step 3. Calculate and write down the magic number by subtracting the subnet
mask’s interesting octet from 256.
▼  Step 4. Write down the classful network number, which is the same number as
the zero subnet, in the next empty row of the list-all-subnets chart.
▼  Step 5. To find each successive subnet number:
➘  A. For the three uninteresting octets, copy the previous subnet number’s values.
➘  B. For the interesting octet, add the magic number to the previous subnet number’s
interesting octet.
▼  Step 6. When the sum calculated in Step 5B reaches 256, stop the process. The
number with the 256 in it is out of range, and the previous subnet number is the
broadcast subnet.

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 Chapter 21
Exam Preparation Tasks

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Questions?

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