What is a Network Address?
The first address in a subnet, representing the network itself, with all host bits set to zero.
Detailed Explanation
The network address identifies the subnet and cannot be assigned to any device. It's used in routing tables to represent the entire network. When you perform a bitwise AND operation between an IP address and its subnet mask, you get the network address. This is fundamental to how routers determine where to forward packets.
Examples
- •192.168.1.0 - Network address for 192.168.1.0/24
- •10.0.0.0 - Network address for 10.0.0.0/8
- •172.16.0.0 - Network address for 172.16.0.0/16