CIDR Notation

CIDR specifies an IP address range using a combination of an IP address and its associated network mask. CIDR notation uses the following format -

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/n

where n is the number of (leftmost) '1' bits in the mask. For example,

192.168.12.0/23

applies the network mask 255.255.254.0 to the 192.168 network, starting at 192.168.12.0. This notation represents the address range 192.168.12.0 - 192.168.13.255. Compared to traditional class-based networking, 192.168.12.0/23 represents an aggregation of the two Class C subnets 192.168.12.0 and 192.168.13.0 each having a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. In other words,

192.168.12.0/23 = 192.168.12.0/24 + 192.168.13.0/24

Additionally, CIDR supports Internet address allocation and message routing independent of the traditional class of a given IP address range. For example,