What Is Subnetting, Its Benefits, and How Does It Work?
If you need to make your computer network more efficient, you should consider subnetting. Businesses across the globe want to reduce network congestion and need engineers who understand how to do this.
What Is Subnetting?
The goal of subnetting is to create a fast, efficient, and resilient computer network. As networks become larger and more complex, the traffic traveling through them needs more efficient routes. If all network traffic was traveling across the system at the same time using the same route, bottlenecks and congestion would occur resulting in sluggish and inefficient backlogs.
Creating a subnet allows you to limit the number of routers that network traffic must pass through. An engineer can create smaller mini-routes within a larger network to allow traffic to travel the shortest distance possible.
What Is Subnetting Used For?
Organizing a network in an efficient way is crucial for large firms and those companies seeking to expand technologically. IP addresses can be kept geographically localized meaning that a subnet can be used for specific staffing structures to reduce traffic and maintain efficiency and order.
How Does Subnetting Work?
IP addresses help to identify the pieces of hardware connected to your network. To locate a particular device, you would need to organize the IP addresses in a logical way. This is where subnetting excels as a tool to help you maintain efficiency across your network.
There could be hundreds of thousands of devices that are connected within a network, and the corresponding IP addresses can create a complex route that traffic must travel. Subnetting limits the IP address usage to within a few devices. This allows an engineer to use subnetting to create sub-networks, sorting data so that it can travel without touching every part of the more complex routers. To do this, an engineer needs to match each IP address class to a subnet mask.
A subnet mask echoes an IP address, but it can only be utilized within an internal network. This mask helps to identify which part of the IP address relates to the network and which part relates to the host so specific data is sent on particular routes according to its destination. A subnet mask creates the tool that enables a router to match an IP address with a sub-network.
Benefits of Subnetting
- Subnetting divides broadcast domains so traffic is routed efficiently, improving speed and network performance.
- A subnet mask ensures that traffic remains within its designated subnet. This reduces major congestion and reduces the load imparted on the network. With sub-networks, less distance needs to be traveled by data packets, enhancing network performance.
- Network security can be boosted. With different subnets within your larger network, you are more aware of route maps and can more easily identify potential threats. With subnets, devices will not be able to access the whole network, and companies can dictate which hardware and users have access to more sensitive data.
- Sound organization is crucial within large businesses. Subnetting allows companies to have full control over their traffic, data packets, network, and routers.
FAQs
Q. Why use subnets?
A. Subnets will enhance network security, efficiency, and performance, and create a speedier set of route maps for data.
Q. How can my company use subnets?
A. Locate a highly qualified engineer by utilizing the search function at Field Engineer.
Q. How many hosts can a subnet have?
A. If you subtract the number of network bits from the number of total bits, you can calculate the total number of hosts a subnet can have.
Q. What sort of networks would be best for subnetting?
A. Small networks don’t require subnets. However, large LANs are prime candidates as IP address allocation will be impactful with group devices to maximize organization.
Q. What is an IP class?
A. IP classification is complex. However, in layman’s terms, IP classes range from A - E. Class A, B, and C are used for host addresses without exception. Class D is for multicasting. And Class E is rarely used within networks of companies.
Q. Do I Need a Subnetting Engineer?
Businesses in the twenty-first century must be organized, focused, and resilient to ward off external threats. Subnetting will help secure your data and technology and achieve your business goals. To implement subnetting properly and effectively, you need a qualified computer engineer. Find one today at Field Engineer.
