On Wednesday 31 May 2006 09:19, Eben King wrote:
>
> Do the {low,high}est address actually _mean_ something special, or are they
> just typically used that way? What about using x.x.x.x/32 to refer to one
> host? Is that a pathological case and therefore requires a special case?
There are really three addresses used. The first one to indicate the network,
like 192.168.0.0. The second to be the gateway, 192.168.0.1.
The highest is what is known as the broadcast address. 192.168.0.255.
It's used to make announcements to all hosts on that network.
The gateway does not have to be on that address, but is commonly so. You can
use the 1st for a host, though it's not advisable. Using the highest for a
host is really not a good idea.
As Chris points out the subnet is only there to help the local NIC to identify
it's own network.
--Steve Szmidt
"To enjoy the right of political self-government, men must be capable of personal self-government - the virtue of self-control. A people without decency cannot be secure in its liberty. From the Declaration Principles ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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