Network Layer Addressing and Subnetting

In this course, you will walk through the essentials of an IP address and then take a deep dive into subnetting IPv4 networks into smaller networks, as well as learn IPv6 addressing and how we can divide the very large IPv6 address space into smaller subnets.

As early as 1985, engineers knew there would be a shortage of IPv4 addresses before the end of the century. Over the next decade, engineers found a very clever solution to the problem, however it created a complex address. In this course, Network Layer Addressing and Subnetting, you will dive into extreme detail about the structure of an IPv4 address and its subnet mask counterpart. To do this, understanding binary numbers becomes very important. First, you will learn to describe how binary numbers work, how to convert from decimal to binary and back again, as well as see how hexadecimal easily integrates into binary. This may sound daunting, however, we keep the content simple and easy to follow, so it is not overwhelming. Next, you will explore how to understand binary and the structure of an IPv4 address, examining how to break a single IPv4 network into multiple IPv4 networks, understand the definition of a network address, broadcast address, and a host address. You will the examine how to calculate networks more efficiently using Variable Length Subnet Masking(VLSM), and to wrap up IPv4 addressing, we will take a simple IPv4 network, break it into 2 networks, and then observe its behavior across a router. Finally, you will wrap up IPv4, and move into IPv6, and understand the nuances of this new and obscure looking address. We keep it as simple as possible, so you understand the structure and operation of the IP address, without getting bogged down in nuanced details, infrequently used in IPv6. By the end of this course, you will have a much better grasp on IPv4 and a new understanding on the growing IPv6.