Subnet vs Supernet (CIDR)
What?
- Subnet:
- Subnetting is like dividing a big office building into smaller departments. Each department has its own space and resources, making it easier to manage and control.
- Supernet (CIDR):
- Supernetting, or CIDR, is like combining multiple office buildings into one big complex. It simplifies management by treating them as one entity, reducing administrative overhead.
Why?
- Subnet:
- It helps organize and secure the network, improves performance, and simplifies management by breaking it into manageable parts.
- Supernet (CIDR):
- It reduces routing table size, optimizes IP address usage, and streamlines network management for larger-scale networks.
How?
- Imagine you're managing a company network with three departments: Sales, Marketing & IT.
- Each department requires its own subnet for better organization and security.
- Sales Department:
- IP address range: 192.168.1.0/24
- Example IP addresses: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.2, etc.
- Marketing Department:
- IP address range: 192.168.2.0/24
- Example IP addresses: 192.168.2.1, 192.168.2.2, etc.
- IT Department:
- IP address range: 192.168.3.0/24
- Example IP addresses: 192.168.3.1, 192.168.3.2, etc.
With subnetting, each department has its own distinct IP address range, allowing for efficient management and isolation of network traffic.
Supernetting (CIDR for Branch Offices): Now, consider the company's branch offices, each with its own IP address range: - Branch Office 1: - IP address range: 10.0.0.0/24 - Branch Office 2: - IP address range: 10.0.1.0/24 - Branch Office 3: - IP address range: 10.0.2.0/24
- Instead of managing each branch office network separately, you can aggregate these networks into one larger network using CIDR notation:
- Branch Offices Supernet:
- Aggregate IP address ranges: 10.0.0.0/22
- Example IP addresses: 10.0.0.1, 10.0.1.2, 10.0.2.3, etc.
With supernetting, you combine multiple smaller networks into one larger network, simplifying routing and management.
In summary, subnetting is used to divide a network into smaller, more manageable segments (like departments in a company), while supernetting (CIDR) is used to combine multiple smaller networks into one larger network (like branch offices in a company). Both techniques optimize network management and routing but serve different purposes.