Summary

In this chapter, you learned how subnet masks, VLSMs, private addressing, and network address translation can enable more efficient use of IP addresses. You learned that hierarchical addressing allows for efficient allocation of addresses and reduced number of routing table entries. VLSMs, specifically, provide the capability to include more than one subnet mask within a network and the capability to subnet an already subnetted network address. Proper IP addressing is required to ensure the most efficient network communications system.