Networking · Tools · Fundamentals

Network

The foundation everything else runs on. Plan subnets, decode addresses and brush up on the fundamentals.

Free tools · run in your browser

Network Toolbox

Everything here runs locally in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to the server.

Enter an IPv4 address with a prefix (192.168.10.25/26) or a mask (192.168.10.25 255.255.255.192).

A prefix or mask typed into the IP box overrides the dropdown.
Fundamentals

The OSI Model

Seven layers that describe how data moves from an application on one device to an application on another.

7
Application
HTTP, DNS, SMTP, SSH: what the user's software speaks
Data
6
Presentation
Encoding, compression and encryption (TLS)
Data
5
Session
Opening, managing and closing conversations
Data
4
Transport
TCP and UDP: ports, reliability, flow control
Segment
3
Network
IP addressing and routing between networks
Packet
2
Data Link
Ethernet, MAC addresses, switches, VLANs
Frame
1
Physical
Cables, fibre, radio: the actual bits on the wire
Bits
Reference

Special IPv4 Ranges

RangePurpose
10.0.0.0/8Private (RFC 1918)
172.16.0.0/12Private (RFC 1918)
192.168.0.0/16Private (RFC 1918)
100.64.0.0/10Carrier-grade NAT (RFC 6598)
127.0.0.0/8Loopback
169.254.0.0/16Link-local (APIPA)
224.0.0.0/4Multicast
192.0.2.0/24, 198.51.100.0/24, 203.0.113.0/24Documentation (RFC 5737)
240.0.0.0/4Reserved
Reference

CIDR Cheat Sheet

PrefixSubnet maskUsable hosts