Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!nosc!logicon.com!tots!tep
From: tep@tots.Logicon.COM (Tom Perrine)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: To Subnet or not to subnet?
Keywords: subnets vs. separate class-C nets
Message-ID: <207@tots.UUCP>
Date: 3 Jan 91 23:40:57 GMT
Reply-To: tep@tots.UUCP (Tom Perrine)
Organization: Logicon, Inc., San Diego, California
Lines: 39


I am in the process of migrating our local Ethernet and Appletalk
networks into a coherent whole. The nets are currently not connected
to each other or to the Internet. (We are looking at a CERFnet
connection within 18 months, however.)

A long time ago, these nets were set up by various departments who
all knew that they were the only network we would ever have, and in
many cases used the network numbers that were the defaults, or used in
setup examples. (YECH!)

My plan is to have a single "backbone" which runs through all of our
buildings, with each "local" net attached to the backbone via a router
or a host acting as a gateway. (I know that a host acting as a gateway
is not efficient, but this is the hardware I have today.)

I already have four "local" nets identified, this number will probably
grow to about eight in the next 2 years. The largest local net has 12
hosts. It and one other net could easily grow to 20+ in the next two
years.

I have a single class-C network number assigned from the NIC.

Should I:

	1. subnet my already-registered class-C net?

	2. ask the NIC for four more class-C nets (for the local nets)
	and use the registered net for the backbone? (And register new
	nets as I need them?)

How scarce a resource are class-C net numbers?

Trying to be a good net-neighbor,
Tom Perrine (tep)                       |Internet: tep@tots.Logicon.COM
Logicon                                 |UUCP: sun!suntan!tots!tep
Tactical and Training Systems Division  |
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