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A subnet mask is a bitmask that encodes the prefix length associated with an IPv4 address or network in quad-dotted notation: 32 bits, starting with a number of 1-bits equal to the prefix length, ending with 0-bits, and encoded in four-part dotted-decimal format: 255.255.255.0. A subnet mask encodes the same information as a prefix length but ...
For example, the subnet mask for a routing prefix that is composed of the most-significant 24 bits of an IPv4 address is written as 255.255.255.0. The modern standard form of specification of the network prefix is CIDR notation, used for both IPv4 and IPv6.
In this case, the longest prefix of the candidate routes is 192.168.20.16/28, since its subnet mask (/28) is longer than the other entry's mask (/16), making the route more specific. Forwarding tables often contain a default route, which has the shortest possible prefix match, to fall back on in case matches with all other entries fail.
The term subnet mask is only used within IPv4. Both IP versions however use the CIDR concept and notation. In this, the IP address is followed by a slash and the number (in decimal) of bits used for the network part, also called the routing prefix. For example, an IPv4 address and its subnet mask may be 192.0.2.1 and 255.255.255.0, respectively.
The original list of IPv4 address blocks was published in September 1981. [3] In previous versions of the document, [19] [20] network numbers were 8-bit numbers rather than the 32-bit numbers used in IPv4. At that time, three networks were added that were not listed earlier: 42.rrr.rrr.rrr, 43.rrr.rrr.rrr, and 44.rrr.rrr.rrr.
IP addresses in dot-decimal notation are also presented in CIDR notation, in which the IP address is suffixed with a slash and a number, used to specify the length of the associated routing prefix. For example, 127.0.0.1/8 specifies that the IP address has an eight-bit routing prefix, and therefore the subnet mask 255.0.0.0.
The default route in Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) is designated as the zero address, 0.0.0.0 / 0 in CIDR notation. [2] Similarly, in IPv6, the default route is specified by :: / 0. The subnet mask is specified as / 0, which effectively specifies all networks and is the shortest match possible. A route lookup that does not match any other ...
Since it would not be practical to manually provision networks at scale, in IPv6 networking, DHCPv6 prefix delegation (RFC 3633; RFC 8415 § 6.3) is used to assign a network address prefix and automate configuration and provisioning of the public routable addresses for the network. In the typical case of a home network, for example, the home ...