VLSM Made Easy

Chika Nwokeoma

Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSM)

Made Easy

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VLSM Made Easy

Chika Nwokeoma

This eBook is intellectual property of orbit-computer-solutions.com. It must only be published in its original form. Using parts or republishing altered parts of this guide is prohibited without permission from orbit-computer-solutions.com. An authorize sharing or distribution of this eBook without the knowledge of the copyright owner with result to legal action.

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VLSM Made Easy

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Contents
.. IP Addressing Overview.....4 . What an IP Address?.......4 . IP Address Format..........5 . IP Address Class and Range......6 Planning to Address the Network....8 . Why Plan, design and document....8 The Use of a hierarchal or structural IP Addressing Scheme...9 . Benefits of a hierarchical network design...9 The use of Subnet in Structuring the Network....12 . Lets talk Subnet Mask.....12 Humans see Decimals; Computer sees Binary.....13 . IP Address Classes, decimals and binary Summarized....14 Basic Subnetting Process....21 Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSM)....24 Benefits of VLSM:....24 Implementing VLSM....25 VLSM Practice....33

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VLSM Made Easy

Chika Nwokeoma

IP Addressing Overview
My aim of writing this eBook is to teach you how to subnet using VLSM the easy way. I will not go into those technical jargons; I will try as much as possible to use a laymans language to pass my message through. For those of us who expect CCNA technical jargons; forgive me, I follow and work out everything in live my own way and learn jargons later! I promised myself to go straight to VLSM, but I wont be doing some readers justice without giving an overview of what IP addressing is. If you are writing the CCNA exam or you are a network administrator, the thorough knowledge of TCP/IP especially IP addressing and subnetting is a must!

What an IP Address?
An IP addressing is a sort of unique identification number used in the location of each device on the network or internet. Its like a phone number, a house number, or post code used to identify a house or location of an individual. (Those of us who work in a post office know how it works.). For your letter to reach its location, it must be addressed properly with the destination country , when it get there, the post office will narrow it down to the state or province, town, village and finally the street and house number then to the intended individual. With this house number, you can send and receive letters. The communication between hosts or devices (PCs, server, printers) on different network is made possible through IP addresses.. Before we go further, lets see how to find your ip address of your computer. The easiest way is to use the command prompt; for other ways see ways to find your IP address. In the command prompt; (Windows 7, Vista, and XP) Click Start, and then select All Programs. Click Accessories, and then select Command Prompt. At the command prompt, enter: ipconfig Tap the enter tab.

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The IP address of your Computer will be displayed with the network mask and dns server ip as the case may be

Nowwhat about the subnet mask; I could hear you ask, dont worry, we will go fully into that as we proceed. A proper IP address is divided into two parts: The Host Address and The Network Address. The host part of the address identifies the individual nodes or machines. (Just as a number identifies a house in a street) While he network address portion identifies the network or network segment on which the host or machines are located. (Just as the post code locates a town or village where a house is) IP addresses are divided into three main classes (five actually), these are Class A, Class B and Class C. Then, classes D and E.. (Class D addresses are used for multicasting, and Class E addresses are reserved for testing future use.) IP Address Format A usable IP address is 32-bit (binary) which is broken up into four octets (parts), and is set into a dotteddecimal notation pattern. An octet is a set of 8 bits. Below is an example of an IP address with its four octets arranged into its dotteddecimal pattern: 192.168.10.41
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The diagram below will help you understand the classes, bits and octets, if it doesnt, dont worry, as we go on; you will. Just stay with me.

IP Address Class and Range: Class A: Class A addresses

Class A IP addresses use the first 8 bits (first octet) to designate the network address. The other 24 bits or (Three Octets) are for the host address. There are 16,777,214 host addresses available in a Class A address.

Class B IP addresses Class B addresses use the first 16 bits (two octets) for the network address. The last two octets are used for the host address. The first 2 bits, which are always 1s and 0s, designate the address as a Class B address, and 14 bits are used to designate the network. This leaves 16 bits (two octets) to designate the hosts.

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Class C IP addresses Class C addresses use the first 24 bits (three octets) for the network address, and only the last octet for host addresses. The first 3 bits of all class C addresses are set to 1 1 0, leaving 21 bits for the network address, which means there can be 2.097,150 Class C networks, but only 254 hosts per network.

IP Address Classes Summary Table

Class Address Range Number of Networks (Bits) 8 16 24 Number of Hosts (Bits) 24 16 8 Number of Hosts/Network

A B C

1-126 128-191 192-223

16,777,214 5,534 254

... If you are writing the CCNA exam or you are a network administrator, the thorough knowledge of TCP/IP especially IP addressing and subnetting is a must!

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VLSM Made Easy

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Planning to Address the Network Its a well recommended practice for a network administrator not to randomly allocated address space in an organizations network. A well designed or structured network address provides network scalability and should be planned and documented. Why Plan, design and document? Planning, design and documenting your network IP addressing helps in the Prevention of duplication of addresses i. Prevention of duplication of addresses: To err is human they say, so by proper planning for network addressing and design, each host in the organization network must be allocated with a unique IP address. This prevents the assignment of an IP address to more than one host. ii. It ensures in the Proper control access to the network: By planning and documenting of allocation of addresses, the security and accessibility of network devices such as servers are easily controlled. For example, if an organization server that provides resources to internal or external network is randomly addressed, blocking access to its address is difficult and clients may not be able to locate this resource iii. It helps in the Monitoring of network security and performance: Similarly, we need to monitor the security and performance of the network hosts and the network as a whole. As part of the monitoring process, we examine network traffic looking for addresses that are generating or receiving excessive packets. If we have proper planning and documentation of the network addressing, we can identify the device on the network that has a problematic address. Some examples of different types of hosts are: End devices for users (PCs, laptops, PDA, etc.) Servers and peripherals Hosts that is accessible from the Internet (servers) Intermediary devices (switches, bridges, hubs, access points etc.) Each of these network devices should be assigned with a logical block of addresses which has to fall within the address range of the organizations network.

Each network devices should be assigned with a logical block of addresses which has to fall within the address range of the organizations network.
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The Use of a hierarchal or structural IP Addressing Scheme A hierarchical addressing structure logically groups networks into smaller subnetworks known basically as subnets. An effective hierarchical address structure consists of a classful network address in the Core Layer of the organizations network; then is subdivided or sequentially broken down into smaller subnets in the Distribution and Access Layers. This type of addressing structure helps in simplifying network management and troubleshooting and also improves scalability and routing performance. Unlike a flat IP addressing design which does not scale well in a large network. Using a well-structured or hierarchical IP addressing scheme for a network makes it easier to increase the size of the network. A larger network can accommodate more users, remote branches or offices. Also properly designed hierarchical IP addressing scheme also makes it easier to perform route summarization Benefits of a hierarchical network design A well-structured network with the proper allocation and deployment of IP address blocks has the following features: Routing stability Service availability Network scalability The diagram below shows two examples; one representing a non-hierarchical and the other a hierarchical addressing. Both examples use the same network topology. Only the addressing scheme changed. Switched LAN's at the Access Layer connect to a Distribution Layer router, which connects to a Core Layer router, which in turn connects to the internet.

An effective hierarchical address structure consists of a classful network address in the Core Layer of the organizations network; then is subdivided or sequentially broken down into smaller subnets in the Distribution and Access Layers.
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In the non-hierarchical addressing assignment, each network IP addresses is not related, as follows: Connection to the internet: 192.168.10.0 Core to Distribution Layer: 192.168.5.0 LAN 1: 10.10.1.0 LAN 2: 172.17.10.0

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In the hierarchical network addressing design, there is a logical grouping of networks address: Connection to the internet: 172.16.0.0 /16 Core to Distribution Layer: 172.17.1.0 /24 LAN 1: 172.17.1 .32 /27 LAN 2: 172.17.1.64 /27

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The use of Subnet in Structuring the Network Why use subnet? Subnetting helps to ensure the smooth flow of network traffic between hosts on the network. More especially, it helps in the proper management of IP address. By organizing hosts into logical groups, subnetting can improve network security and performance. These are some of the reasons to divide the network into subnets: Physical location Logical grouping Security Application requirements Broadcast containment Hierarchical network design Lets talk Subnet Mask In order to use subnetting to structure the network, it is very important to have a clear understanding of the structure of the subnet mask. The subnet mask shows where or location of hosts in a network. The subnet mask is a 32-bit value that differentiates between the network bits and the host bits. It consists of a string of 1s followed by a string of 0s. The 1 bit represents the network portion and the 0 bits represent the host portion. To get clearer perspective of this, look back at the diagram on IP addressing overview. Below are the IP address classes subnet masks: Class A addresses use a default subnet mask of 255.0.0.0 or a slash notation (CIDR) of /8 Class B addresses use a default mask of 255.255.0.0 or /16 Class C addresses use a default mask of 255.255.255.0 or /24 The 255 part of it represents the network portion and the 0 parts represents the host portion

The subnet mask shows where or location of hosts in a network

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Humans see Decimals; Computer sees Binary. Ok, this might sound out of place, but emphatically, what we see is different from how the computer sees it. For example; right click on any webpage, click on the view source from the pop up menu window and you get to see how computer sees the webpage you are seeing! Same goes to IP addressing and subnet masks. Humans see decimals, but computer sees and calculates in binary. Firstly, below is a cram table as I called it, this table will give you a quick access, especially on the day of your CCNA exam or when addressing a subnetwork. The cram table summarized all the classes A to C. Subnetting on different classes is the same process; the only difference is on the octet you are working on. To subnet a class; you need to work on the host bits of that class: Class A = Second octet Class B = Third octet Class C = Fourth octet SUBNET CRAM TABLE Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 64 1 2 126 62 32 3 30 16 4 14 8 5 6 4 6 2 2 7 1 8

128 192 224 /25 /26 /27

240 248 252 255 256 /28 /29 /30

To get the network address, you add the bit value borrowed to get the subnet mask. Example: When you borrow 1 bit = 128 value So your network address subnet mask will be 255.255.128.0 (Class B). If you had borrowed 2 bits = 128+64 = 192 Your network address subnet mask will be 255.255.192.0. etc.etc http://www.orbit-computer-solutions.com

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IP Address Classes, decimals and binary Summarized Is not enough to pass the CCNA exam, anyone can do it these days by purchasing question dumps. But how will tour performance be in the real world! I know this part will be somehow difficult and boring, but if you want to be good in your subnetting; you need to learn the breakdown below; in detail about decimal and binary conversion. Study the decimal and binary parts carefully; you will notice how bits are turned on from 0 to 1 to turns it into a network: (remember the Subnet mask determines the location of the network). Study this from time to time, is no rocket science!! Class A (Network. Host. Host. Host) subsequently, in order to subnet, we went on to borrow a bit from the host bit to turn it on into a network address. Remember, in class A, you are working on the FIRST octet. Example of Class A IP Address: 10.0.0.0 Default dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /8 Number of host bits: 24 (counting the 0s) Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 16777214 One bit is borrowed from the host part below: (see the bold 1s) Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.128.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.10000000.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /9 Number of host bits: 23 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 8388606

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Two bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.192.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11000000.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /10 Number of host bits: 22 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 4194302

Three bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.224.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11100000.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /11 Number of host bits: 21 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 2097150

Four bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.240.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11110000.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /12 Number of host bits: 20 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 1048574

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Five bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.248.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111000.00000000.00000000> Slash Notation or CIDR: /13 Number of host bits: 19 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 524286

Six bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.252.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111100.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /14 Number of host bits: 18 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 262142

Seven bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.254.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111110.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /15 Number of host bits: 17 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 131070

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Class B Example IP address: 172.16.0.0 (Network. Network. Host. Host Borrow bits from the host part to turn it on or into a network address. Remember, in class B, you are working on the SECOND octet. Default dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.00000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /16 Number of host bits: 16 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 65534 One bit is borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.128.0 Subnet Mask in Binary 11111111.11111111.10000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /17 Number of host bits: 15 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 32766 Two bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.192.0 Subnet Mask in Binary 11111111.11111111.11000000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /18 Number of host bits: 14 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 16382 Three bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.224.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11100000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /19 Number of host bits: 13 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 8190

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Four bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.240.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11110000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /20 Number of host bits: 12 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 4094 Five bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.248.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111000.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /21 Number of host bits: 11 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 2046 Six bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.252.0 Subnet Mask in Binary 11111111.11111111.11111100.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /22 Number of host bits: 10 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 1022 Seven bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.254.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111110.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /23 Number of host bits: 9 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 510

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From here is Class C, (Network. Network. Network. Host) In class C, you borrow bits from the host part to turn it on or into a network address. Remember, in class C, you are working on the THIRD octet. Default dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /24 Number of host bits: 8 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 254 One bit is borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.128 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.10000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /25 Number of host bits: 7 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 126 Two bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.192 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /26 Number of host bits: 6 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 62 Three bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.224 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /27 Number of host bits: 5 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 30

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Four bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.240 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11110000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /28 Number of host bits: 4 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 14

Five bits borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.248 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11111000 Slash Notation or CIDR: /29 Number of host bits: 3 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 6 Six bits are borrowed from the host part below: Dotted decimal Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.252 Subnet Mask in Binary: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11111100 Slash Notation or CIDR: /30 Number of host bits: 2 Hosts Possible, 2 to the power of n minus 2: 2

Humans see decimals, computer sees and calculate in binary. Subnetting on different classes is the same process; the only difference is on the octet you are working on. To subnet a class; you need to work on the host bits of that class.

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Basic Subnetting Process

Using the cram table makes subneting on any of the classes easier. When using a hierarchical addressing scheme, the subnet mask reveals so much information about the IP and network address. For example, an IP address of 192.168.10.45 /27 shows the following information: Given the above IP address, with the slash notation or CIDR, you will know (following the cram table) that /27 means the subnet mask will be 255.255.255.224. This means that 3 additional host bits were borrowed with the bit value of 32 and this creates 6 subnets (2^3 = 6). Now this will accommodate 30 usable host addresses (32, but 2 reserved for network and broadcast) Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

Note: if you are wondering how we got the 224 in the fourth octet of the subnet mast; we added the bits value we borrowed: 128+64+32 = 224 or /27 Each time a bit is borrowed, you have to minus 2(each for network and broadcast address) from the bit value to obtain the number of usable IP address for hosts

The network address in this case will be: Network Address: 192.168.10.32 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.224 Usable host addresses: 192.168.10.33 to 192.168.10.62 Broadcast address: 192.168.10.63 192.168.10.64 starts the network address of the next subnet.
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Example 2 Giving the IP address of 192.168.20.72 /26 What is the network address, subnet mask, usable hosts addresses and broadcast address. Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

If you look at the cram table, /26 means 2 bit value was borrowed from the host bits of the network to create a subnet. Bits value: 128+64=192. So the subnet mask will be 255.255.255.192 Network address: 192.168.20.64 Usable hosts addresses: 192.168.20.65 to 192.168.20.126 Broadcast address: 192.168.20.127 Next network address will be: 192.168.20.128 If we have to continue: Network address: 192.168.20.128 /26 Usable host range: 192.168.20.129 to 192.168.20.190 Broadcast address: 192.168.20.191 Network address: 192.168.20.192 /26 Usable host range: 192.168.20.193 to 192.168.20.254 Broadcast address: 192.168.20.255

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Refresher:
Basic subnetting does not scale well in a large network. A subnet of /26 is required to accommodate only network segment of 58 hosts. Using a basic subnetting scheme is not only wasteful, but creates only four subnets. But with VLSM concept, you can subnet a subnet. VLSM allows the use of different masks for each subnet.

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Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSM)

VLSM basically is subnetting a subnet. This concept of subnetting a subnet address, provide for efficient use of address space. With VLSM, IP network addressing is structured in hierarchical form, this enables the router to summarize routes in the routing table. Route summarization helps to reduce the size of routing tables in distribution and core routers, and the Smaller the routing tables, the less CPU time for routing lookups. Dont get me wrong, basic subnetting is only works well for smaller networks but does not offer the flexibility needed in larger networks. Most classless routing protocols support the use of VLSM because the subnet mask is sent with all routing update packets. Classless routing protocols include RIPv2, EIGRP, and OSPF. Benefits of VLSM: Allows efficient use of address space Allows the use of multiple subnet mask lengths Breaks up an address block into smaller blocks Allows for route summarization Provides more flexibility in network design Supports hierarchical enterprise networks

VLSM basically means, subnetting a subnet. This concept of subnetting a subnet address, provides for efficient use of address space.

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Implementing VLSM #1 To really understand how VLSM works, you need to be clear on how block sizes work to create a VLSM subnet masks. For example, when you have host requirement of 52, then you will need the block size of 64, if you require 13 host, you have to work with block size 16. Even if you need 45 hosts, block size of 64 will have to be your choice. You dont cut corners by trying to create or make up block sizes! Thats why the cram table is so effective. Example: Lets use the topology below as an example on how you can use VLSM to break up a subnet into smaller portions for use on serial links so as to save IP address wastage, mind you each network is has an equal host range of 30: Given the subnet address: 192.168.10.0 /27 Firstly, we bring the Modified cram table and refer to it as we go along:
Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

As we move along, use the cram table as guidance There are four routers, R1, R2, R3, and R4. R1 is connected to R2 via Serial link (Subnet Address: 192.168.10.192 /30). R2 is connected to R3 via Serial link (Subnet Address: 192.168.10.196 /30). R3 is connected to R4 via Serial link (Subnet Address: 192.168.10.200 /30). LAN network addresses R1 R2 R3 R4
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network network network network

address: address: address: address:

192.168.10.0 /27. 192.168.10.32 /27. 192.168.10.64 /27. 192.168.10.96 /27.

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Now if you remember earlier we defined VLSM as subnetting a subnet. Below, the IP address 192.168.10.0 (which is a subnet) will be broken down further; into smaller networks. Listed below are available subnets, and a list of Variable Length Subnets for the mentioned network subnet. Subnets of 192.168.10.0 (this can be termed as Subnet Number: 0 ) Subnet Address: 192.168.10 .0 /27 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.224 First Network Subnet Address: 192.168.10.32 /27 (if you look at the cram table, you will see that 3 bits were borrowed and this accommodates 30 usable host addresses, 2 is reserved for network and broadcast address.) Second Network Subnet Address: 192.168.10.64 /27 (32 + 32 = 64) Third Network Subnet Address: 192.168.10.96 /27 Four Network Subnet Address: 192.168.10.128 /27 Fifth Network Subnet Address: 192.168.10.160 /27 Sixth Subnet Network Address: 192.168.10.192 /27 (64 + 32 = 96) (96 + 32 = 128) (128 + 32 = 160) (128 + 32 = 192)

As mentioned earlier, each network is has an equal host range of 30. In each block, we reserved 2 for network and broadcast addressing. Subnet for the WAN links Subnets of 192.168.10.192 (subnet 0) R1 R2 Subnet Address: 192.168.10.192 /30 (192 + 4* = 196 R2 R3 Subnet Address: 192.168.10.196 /30 R3 R4 Subnet Address: 192.168.10.200 /30 (196 + 4 = 200)

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This is how the network IP addressing structure will look like:

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Implementing VLSM #2. Lets look at another practice example, this time; we will work with different host ranges with different network masks for different router interfaces. Scenario Suppose as a network Administrator, you are presented with the following requirements and network IP 192.168.10.0 /26: London HQ = 58 host addresses Aberdeen HQ = 26 host addresses Quebec HQ = 10 host addresses Idaho HQ = 10 host addresses WAN links = 2 host addresses (each) When implementing this VLSM subnetting scheme, we have to allow for some growth in the number of hosts. This is the whole essence of VLSM Subnetting. We will start from the largest to the smallest. According to the requirement, London, the largest requires 58 hosts. If we follow the cram table, we will have to borrow 2 bits to use /26.
Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

192.168.10.0/26 This will give us 62 usable host addresses reserving 2 for network and broadcast, with the subnet mask of 192 London Network IP address: 192.168.10.0 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.192 Host Range: 192.168.10.1 to 192.168.10.62 Broadcast address: 192.168.10.63 (Next Network will start at 192.168.10.64)

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Aberdeen (26 host address) We will use the next available network which is 192.168.10.64/27 (because of the number of host: 28)
Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

To minimize the waste of addresses, we are going to borrow 3 bits. If you look at the cram table, an address block of /27 will be sufficient: Aberdeen Network IP: 192.168.10.64/27 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.224 Host Range: 192.168.10.65 to 192.168.10.94 Broadcast address: 192.168.10.95

Next Network will start at 192.168.10.96 (That is 64 + 32 = 96 due to the network requirement of 10 hosts, and leaves some for expansion.) Quebec (10 usable host addresses)
Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

The 3 bits borrowed will accommodate our requirement at this time with different subnet mask. Quebec Network IP: 192.168.10.96 /28 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.240 Host range: 192.168.10.97 to 192.168.10.110 Broadcast address: 192.168.10.111

Next Network will start at 192.168.10.112 (That is 96 + 16 = 112 due to the network requirement of 10 hosts)

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Idaho (10 usable addresses) Idaho network address will start at 192.168.10.112 /28 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.240 Host range: 192.168.10.113 to 192.168.10.126 Broadcast address: 192.168.10.127
Bit Value Bit Borrowed Usable host address Subnet Mask Subnet Prefix/CIDR 128 1 126 128 /25 64 2 62 192 /26 32 3 30 224 /27 16 4 14 240 /28 8 5 6 248 /29 4 6 2 252 /30 2 7 255 1 8 256

Next subnets will be for the WAN Links, which are point-to-point links. This require 2 addresses spaces each and will begin from: 192.168.10.128 We are borrowing 6 bits with bits value of 4 (according to host requirement) WAN 1 Network address: 192.168.10.128 /30 Host range: 192.168.10.129 to 192.168.10.130 /30 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 Broadcast: 192.168.10.131 Both routers will be assigned with an IP each and the remaining 2 addresses will be for network and broadcast.

Next network will begin from 192.168.10.132 (128 + 4 =132)

WAN 2 Network: 192.168.10.132 /30 Host range: 192.168.10.133 to 192.168.10.134 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 Broadcast: 192.168.10.135 Next network will begin from 192.168.10.136 (132 + 4 =136)

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WAN 3 Network: 192.168.10.136 /30 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.252 Host range: 192.168.10.137 to 138 Broadcast: 192.168.10.139
Administrators Network IP Plan table

Name London (58 hosts) Aberdeen Quebec Idaho WAN 1- 2 WAN 2 - 3 WAN 3 - 4

Subnet Address 192.168.10.0 192.168.10.64 192.168.10.96 192.168.10.112 192.168.10.128 192.168.10.132 192.168.10.136

Address Range .1 - .62 .65 - .94 .97 - .110 .113 126 .129 130 .133 134 .137 138

Broadcast Address .63 .95 .111 .127 .131 .135 .139

Network/ Mask prefix 192.168.10.0/26 192.168.10.64 /27 192.168.10.96 /28 192.168.10.112 /28 192.168.10.128 /30 192.168.10.132 /30 192.168.10.136 /30

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Refresher To really understand how VLSM works, you need to be clear on how block sizes work to create a VLSM subnet masks. For example, when you need host requirement of 52, then you will need the block size of 64, if you require 13 host, you have to work with block size 16. Even if you need 45 hosts, block size of 64 will have to be your choice. You dont cut corners by trying to create or make up block sizes! Thats why the cram table is so effective.

Bit Value + Bit Value = Subnet Mask

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 bits bits bits bits bits bits bits bits bits = = = = = = = = = 11111111 11111110 11111100 11111000 11110000 11100000 11000000 10000000 00000000 = = = = = = = = = 128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1 = 255 128+64+32+16+8+4+2= 254 128+64+32+16+8+4 = 252 128+64+32+16+8 = 248 128+64+32+16 = 240 128+64+32 = 224 128+64 = 192 128 = 128 0=0

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VLSM Practice

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VLSM Activity 1 Test your skills by filling in the appropriate values to complete the IP addressing structure required. IP Address 200.199.90.0 Host requirements 60 28 25 12 2 2 /slash No. of hosts Subnet Host Range Broadcast

/26

62

200.199.90.0

1 62

.63

Try your VLSM Addressing Skill. IP Address 172.17.10.0 Host Requirement /notation No. of hosts subnet Host Range Broadcast

24 24 25 10 6 2 35

/27

30

172.17.10.0

1 30

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CCNA Exam Essentials

Try and have put the cram table in your head, this will help you to understand how IP addressing and subnetting works. Follow this procedure: 1. When you get to the exam testing Centre, write out the cram table on the scribbler you will be given so that you can refer to it when facing subnetting question. 2. Determine your block size (128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4,) 3. Dont forget to reserve for the broadcast address. (Number before the next subnet) 4. Dont forget to copy and save config file and pinging to see if your configuration worked

Web Resources
http://www.tcpipguide.com/ http://www.9tut.com http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk365/technologies_tech_note09186a00800a67f5.shtm http://www.subnetting-secrets.com/vlsm.html http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/19607-vlsm-practice.html http://www.certforums.com/forums/general-cisco-certifications/19828-vlsmexamples.html

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