Difference Between Subnetting and Supernetting
Feature | Subnetting | Supernetting |
---|---|---|
Definition | Divides a larger network into smaller subnets. | Combines multiple smaller networks into a larger one. |
Purpose | Efficient utilization of IP addresses and network resources. | Aggregation of contiguous network addresses to reduce routing table size. |
Result | Creates smaller, more manageable subnetworks. | Creates larger, more efficient supernetworks. |
Address Allocation | Requires additional IP address space for each subnet. | Requires contiguous address blocks to be aggregated. |
Routing Tables | Increases the size of routing tables due to multiple subnets. | Decreases the size of routing tables by aggregating routes. |
Administration | Adds complexity in managing multiple subnets and their configurations. | Simplifies network management by reducing the number of routes to maintain. |
Network Segmentation | Enhances network security by isolating subnets. | May reduce network segmentation depending on the scope of supernetting. |
Example | An organization with departments segmented into separate subnets. | Aggregating multiple class C networks (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24, 192.168.2.0/24) into a single supernet (e.g., 192.168.0.0/22). |
What is Supernet?
In the world of networking, a super net is a technique used to concatenate multiple IP networks into a larger network that has a single address and therefore keep a table of routing small. This process finds application when the organizations possess clusters of networks, which they are supposed to treat as one unit.