For some reason, nothing seems to scare people preparing for the CCNA or CCDA quite as much as subnetting. While I’m not quite sure why this fear exists, I can tell you one thing for certain – subnetting isn’t very difficult at all, as long as you can remember a few simple rules. If you follow along closely, by the end of this chapter you too will realize how easy subnetting can be.
While subnetting is certainly important, there are many IP addressing concepts that you’ll need to understand in order to be successful in passing your CCNA and CCDA exams. Topics that we’ll cover in this chapter include:
- Binary-decimal conversions
- Determining classes of addresses
- Private IP address ranges
- Defining custom subnet masks and address ranges
- Classless addressing
- Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)
In your new life as a network engineer, these concepts will represent the foundation of your knowledge. Take the time to truly understand them, as you will ultimately use them again and again.
