IPv6 Subnet Calculator

IP Address: Prefix Length:

Results

Network Address:

Usable IP Range:

Subnet Mask:

 

IP Address and Prefix Length Explained:
IP Address:

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a network. It is used to identify and communicate with devices over a network. IP addresses come in two main versions:

1. IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4):

   • Composed of four sets of numbers separated by periods, e.g., 192.168.1.1.
   • Each set can be between 0 and 255.
   • There are 4.3 billion possible addresses available due to its 32-bit structure.

2. IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6):

   • Composed of eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons, e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334.
   • This format is designed to provide a vastly larger address space (2^128 addresses), suitable for the growing number of devices on the Internet.

Prefix Length:

The prefix length defines the network part of an IP address and determines how many bits are used for the network and how many bits are used for the host within the IP address.

1. For IPv4:

   • The prefix length is commonly referred to as the subnet mask, represented in a slash notation, e.g., /24.
   • It indicates the number of leading 1-bits in the subnet mask. For instance, /24 translates to 255.255.255.0, which means the first 24 bits of the IP address are used for the network, and the remaining 8 bits are for hosts.
   • Example: IP 192.168.1.10 with a /24 subnet mask would belong to the network 192.168.1.0 and have a usable range from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254.

2. For IPv6:

   • The prefix length is also represented in a slash notation, e.g., /64.
   • A /64 prefix in IPv6 implies that the first 64 bits are used for the network address, leaving the remaining 64 bits for hosts.
   • Example: IP 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334 with a /64 prefix would have the network portion 2001:db8:85a3::/64 and a usable IP range from 2001:db8:85a3::1 to 2001:db8:85a3::ffff:ffff:ffff.

Usage in Subnet Calculators:

• IP Address: You enter the specific IPv4 or IPv6 address you want to calculate for.
• Prefix Length: You specify the subnet mask or the prefix length, indicating how many bits are used for the network portion.
• The combination of the IP address and the prefix length helps subnet calculators compute network details like the network address, usable IP range, and subnet mask.