Network Address Calculator: Subnet & IP Planning Tool

network address is a separate mark that helps to recognize a node or host in a network. This address can be physical or only logical. One wants that network addresses stay unique through the whole net, even so some nets allow to use local or own addresses, that are not necessarily unique.

On same net each device has an identical network address, that forms part of its IP-address. For instance, in IP-address 172.20.18.125 the section “172.20” show the network address. The other parts form the node address, that belongs only to one particular machine in that net.

Network Address and IP Address Basics

Imagine it similarly to a number, here are a network section and a host section, only that in IP the amount of codes in parts ranges.

IP-address stores two main parts: network address and host address. Network addresses help to locate the subnet, where sits the device. Host address show exactly what computer or device it is.

The network address simply is the starting address of net, used for calling that network part. All IP-addresses that has identical network section, belongs to one same segment.

One usually writes IP-addresses in dot-decimal form, four codes, separated by spots, for instance 192.168.123.132. Under the surface, both the IP-address and the subnet mask is 32-bit strings from ones and zeros. Dot-decimal writing helps only folks.

The mask always lays ones below and zeros up. First parts point, which bits belong to network address, while other parts show, which bits are special fore the host.

Number after slash points the prefix length. For instance, /16 show, that 16 bits form the network part and 16 bits the host address. In a subnet the network address is the first, and the broadcast address the last.

Do not assign them to devices. Like this in 192.168.1.0/24 avoid using 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.1.255 for hosts.

network address does not work as IP-address for host. It simply calls the subnet. Together with subnet mask it well helps to describe networks in tables of routing and in protocols.

NAT, or Network Address Translation, allows private IP-nets to reach the internet by changing internal private addresses to outside public addresses. Routers care about that mapping. Private IP stays internal in local net, while public IP passes through the whole internet.

DNS is a system, that turns memorable domain names into numerical addresses, so that one easily finds network resources. Domain names are marks, separated by spots, where every mark does not pass 63 signs. There are also broadcast addresses for sending messages to all devices, multicast addresses for talking in a group and anycast addresses, thatdeliver packages to the nearest in group.