Subnetting Made Easy

Simple step-by-step subnetting for beginners & interviews


+ What is Subnetting?

Subnetting is the process of dividing a large IP network into smaller, manageable networks called subnets.

+ Why do we need Subnetting?
  • Efficient IP address usage
  • Improved network performance
  • Better security & isolation
  • Reduced broadcast traffic
+ IP Address Classes (Quick Recap)
  • Class A: 1.0.0.0 – 126.0.0.0 (/8)
  • Class B: 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.0.0 (/16)
  • Class C: 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.0 (/24)
+ What is CIDR?

CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) allows flexible subnet masks such as /26, /27, /28 instead of fixed classes.

+ Easy Subnetting Method (4 Steps)
  1. Identify the required number of hosts
  2. Choose subnet mask that supports hosts
  3. Calculate block size (256 − subnet value)
  4. Identify network, usable, broadcast IPs
+ Example: 192.168.1.0 /26
  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.192
  • Block Size: 64
  • Subnets: 0, 64, 128, 192
  • Usable Hosts per subnet: 62
+ Common Subnetting Mistakes
  • Using network IP as host IP
  • Using broadcast IP as host IP
  • Wrong block size calculation
  • Ignoring future scalability