IP Addressing and Subnetting for New Users

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Updated:August 10, 2016
Document ID:1456953685377642

Contents

Introduction

Prerequisites

Requirements

Components Used

Additional Information

Understand IP Addresses

Network Masks

Understand Subnetting

Examples

Sample Exercise 1

Sample Exercise 2

VLSM Example

VLSM Example

CIDR

Appendix

Sample Config

Router A
Router B
Host/Subnet Quantities Table

Related Information

Introduction
 This document provides basic information needed in order to configure your router for routing IP, such as how addresses are broken
down and how subnetting works. You learn how to assign each interface on the router an IP address with a unique subnet. There are
examples included in order to help tie everything together.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Cisco recommends that you have a basic understanding of binary and decimal numbers.

Components Used

This document is not restricted to specific software and hardware versions.

The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document
started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any
command.

Additional Information

If definitions are helpful to you, use these vocabulary terms in order to get you started:

 Address - The unique number ID assigned to one host or interface in a network.

 Subnet - A portion of a network that shares a particular subnet address.
 Subnet mask - A 32-bit combination used to describe which portion of an address refers to the subnet and which part refers to
the host.
 Interface - A network connection.
If you have already received your legitimate address(es) from the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC), you are ready to
begin. If you do not plan to connect to the Internet, Cisco strongly suggests that you use reserved addresses from RFC 1918  .

Understand IP Addresses
An IP address is an address used in order to uniquely identify a device on an IP network. The address is made up of 32 binary bits, which
can be divisible into a network portion and host portion with the help of a subnet mask. The 32 binary bits are broken into four octets (1
octet = 8 bits). Each octet is converted to decimal and separated by a period (dot). For this reason, an IP address is said to be expressed in
dotted decimal format (for example, 172.16.81.100). The value in each octet ranges from 0 to 255 decimal, or 00000000 - 11111111
binary.

Here is how binary octets convert to decimal: The right most bit, or least significant bit, of an octet holds a value of 2 0. The bit just to the
left of that holds a value of 21. This continues until the left-most bit, or most significant bit, which holds a value of 2 7. So if all binary bits
are a one, the decimal equivalent would be 255 as shown here:
1 1 1 11111
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 (128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1=255)

Here is a sample octet conversion when not all of the bits are set to 1.
0 1000001
 0 64 0 0 0 0 0 1 (0+64+0+0+0+0+0+1=65)

And this sample shows an IP address represented in both binary and decimal.
10. 1. 23. 19 (decimal)
00001010.00000001.00010111.00010011 (binary)

These octets are broken down to provide an addressing scheme that can accommodate large and small networks. There are five different
classes of networks, A to E. This document focuses on classes A to C, since classes D and E are reserved and discussion of them is
beyond the scope of this document.

Note: Also note that the terms "Class A, Class B" and so on are used in this document in order to help facilitate the understanding of IP
addressing and subnetting. These terms are rarely used in the industry anymore because of the introduction of classless interdomain
routing (CIDR).

Given an IP address, its class can be determined from the three high-order bits (the three left-most bits in the first octet). Figure 1 shows
the significance in the three high order bits and the range of addresses that fall into each class. For informational purposes, Class D and
Class E addresses are also shown.
Figure 1
In a Class A address, the first octet is the network portion, so the Class A example in Figure 1 has a major network address of 1.0.0.0 -
127.255.255.255. Octets 2, 3, and 4 (the next 24 bits) are for the network manager to divide into subnets and hosts as he/she sees fit.
Class A addresses are used for networks that have more than 65,536 hosts (actually, up to 16777214 hosts!).
In a Class B address, the first two octets are the network portion, so the Class B example in Figure 1 has a major network address of
128.0.0.0 - 191.255.255.255. Octets 3 and 4 (16 bits) are for local subnets and hosts. Class B addresses are used for networks that have
between 256 and 65534 hosts.
In a Class C address, the first three octets are the network portion. The Class C example in Figure 1 has a major network address of
192.0.0.0 - 223.255.255.255. Octet 4 (8 bits) is for local subnets and hosts - perfect for networks with less than 254 hosts.

Network Masks
A network mask helps you know which portion of the address identifies the network and which portion of the address identifies the node.
Class A, B, and C networks have default masks, also known as natural masks, as shown here:
Class A: 255.0.0.0
Class B: 255.255.0.0
Class C: 255.255.255.0

An IP address on a Class A network that has not been subnetted would have an address/mask pair similar to: 8.20.15.1 255.0.0.0. In
order to see how the mask helps you identify the network and node parts of the address, convert the address and mask to binary numbers.
8.20.15.1 = 00001000.00010100.00001111.00000001
255.0.0.0 = 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000

Once you have the address and the mask represented in binary, then identification of the network and host ID is easier. Any address bits
which have corresponding mask bits set to 1 represent the network ID. Any address bits that have corresponding mask bits set to 0
represent the node ID.
8.20.15.1 = 00001000.00010100.00001111.00000001
255.0.0.0 = 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000
-----------------------------------
net id | host id

netid = 00001000 = 8
hostid = 00010100.00001111.00000001 = 20.15.1

Understand Subnetting
Subnetting allows you to create multiple logical networks that exist within a single Class A, B, or C network. If you do not
subnet, you are only able to use one network from your Class A, B, or C network, which is unrealistic.

Each data link on a network must have a unique network ID, with every node on that link being a member of the same
network. If you break a major network (Class A, B, or C) into smaller subnetworks, it allows you to create a network of
interconnecting subnetworks. Each data link on this network would then have a unique network/subnetwork ID. Any
device, or gateway, that connects n networks/subnetworks has n distinct IP addresses, one for each network / subnetwork
that it interconnects.
In order to subnet a network, extend the natural mask with some of the bits from the host ID portion of the address in order to create a
subnetwork ID. For example, given a Class C network of 204.17.5.0 which has a natural mask of 255.255.255.0, you can create subnets
in this manner:
204.17.5.0 - 11001100.00010001.00000101.00000000
255.255.255.224 - 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000
--------------------------|sub|----

By extending the mask to be 255.255.255.224, you have taken three bits (indicated by "sub") from the original host portion of the
address and used them to make subnets. With these three bits, it is possible to create eight subnets. With the remaining five host ID bits,
each subnet can have up to 32 host addresses, 30 of which can actually be assigned to a device since host ids of all zeros or all ones are
not allowed (it is very important to remember this). So, with this in mind, these subnets have been created.
204.17.5.0 255.255.255.224 host address range 1 to 30
204.17.5.32 255.255.255.224 host address range 33 to 62
204.17.5.64 255.255.255.224 host address range 65 to 94
204.17.5.96 255.255.255.224 host address range 97 to 126
204.17.5.128 255.255.255.224 host address range 129 to 158
204.17.5.160 255.255.255.224 host address range 161 to 190
204.17.5.192 255.255.255.224 host address range 193 to 222
204.17.5.224 255.255.255.224 host address range 225 to 254

Note: There are two ways to denote these masks. First, since you use three bits more than the "natural" Class C mask, you can denote
these addresses as having a 3-bit subnet mask. Or, secondly, the mask of 255.255.255.224 can also be denoted as /27 as there are 27 bits
that are set in the mask. This second method is used with CIDR. With this method, one of these networks can be described with the
notation prefix/length. For example, 204.17.5.32/27 denotes the network 204.17.5.32 255.255.255.224. When appropriate, the
prefix/length notation is used to denote the mask throughout the rest of this document.

The network subnetting scheme in this section allows for eight subnets, and the network might appear as:

Figure 2

Notice that each of the routers in Figure 2 is attached to four subnetworks, one subnetwork is common to both routers. Also, each router
has an IP address for each subnetwork to which it is attached. Each subnetwork could potentially support up to 30 host addresses.
This brings up an interesting point. The more host bits you use for a subnet mask, the more subnets you have available. However, the
more subnets available, the less host addresses available per subnet. For example, a Class C network of 204.17.5.0 and a mask of
255.255.255.224 (/27) allows you to have eight subnets, each with 32 host addresses (30 of which could be assigned to devices). If you
use a mask of 255.255.255.240 (/28), the break down is:
204.17.5.0 - 11001100.00010001.00000101.00000000
255.255.255.240 - 11111111.11111111.11111111.11110000
--------------------------|sub |---

Since you now have four bits to make subnets with, you only have four bits left for host addresses. So in this case you can have up to 16
subnets, each of which can have up to 16 host addresses (14 of which can be assigned to devices).

Take a look at how a Class B network might be subnetted. If you have network 172.16.0.0 ,then you know that its natural mask is
255.255.0.0 or 172.16.0.0/16. Extending the mask to anything beyond 255.255.0.0 means you are subnetting. You can quickly see that
you have the ability to create a lot more subnets than with the Class C network. If you use a mask of 255.255.248.0 (/21), how many
subnets and hosts per subnet does this allow for?
172.16.0.0 - 10101100.00010000.00000000.00000000
255.255.248.0 - 11111111.11111111.11111000.00000000
-----------------| sub |-----------

You use five bits from the original host bits for subnets. This allows you to have 32 subnets (2 5). After using the five bits for subnetting,
you are left with 11 bits for host addresses. This allows each subnet so have 2048 host addresses (2 11), 2046 of which could be assigned to
devices.

Note: In the past, there were limitations to the use of a subnet 0 (all subnet bits are set to zero) and all ones subnet (all subnet bits set to
one). Some devices would not allow the use of these subnets. Cisco Systems devices allow the use of these subnets when the ip subnet
zero command is configured.

Examples

Sample Exercise 1

Now that you have an understanding of subnetting, put this knowledge to use. In this example, you are given two address / mask
combinations, written with the prefix/length notation, which have been assigned to two devices. Your task is to determine if these
devices are on the same subnet or different subnets. You can use the address and mask of each device in order to determine to which
subnet each address belongs.
DeviceA: 172.16.17.30/20
DeviceB: 172.16.28.15/20

Determine the Subnet for DeviceA:

172.16.17.30 - 10101100.00010000.00010001.00011110
255.255.240.0 - 11111111.11111111.11110000.00000000
-----------------| sub|------------
subnet = 10101100.00010000.00010000.00000000 = 172.16.16.0
Looking at the address bits that have a corresponding mask bit set to one, and setting all the other address bits to zero (this is equivalent
to performing a logical "AND" between the mask and address), shows you to which subnet this address belongs. In this case, DeviceA
belongs to subnet 172.16.16.0.

Determine the Subnet for DeviceB:

172.16.28.15 - 10101100.00010000.00011100.00001111
255.255.240.0 - 11111111.11111111.11110000.00000000
-----------------| sub|------------
subnet = 10101100.00010000.00010000.00000000 = 172.16.16.0

From these determinations, DeviceA and DeviceB have addresses that are part of the same subnet.

Sample Exercise 2

Given the Class C network of 204.15.5.0/24, subnet the network in order to create the network in Figure 3 with the host requirements
shown.
Figure 3

Looking at the network shown in Figure 3, you can see that you are required to create five subnets. The largest subnet must support 28
host addresses. Is this possible with a Class C network? and if so, then how?
You can start by looking at the subnet requirement. In order to create the five needed subnets you would need to use three bits from the
Class C host bits. Two bits would only allow you four subnets (2 2).
Since you need three subnet bits, that leaves you with five bits for the host portion of the address. How many hosts does this support?
25 = 32 (30 usable). This meets the requirement.
Therefore you have determined that it is possible to create this network with a Class C network. An example of how you might assign the
subnetworks is:
netA: 204.15.5.0/27 host address range 1 to 30
netB: 204.15.5.32/27 host address range 33 to 62
netC: 204.15.5.64/27 host address range 65 to 94
netD: 204.15.5.96/27 host address range 97 to 126
netE: 204.15.5.128/27 host address range 129 to 158

VLSM Example
In all of the previous examples of subnetting, notice that the same subnet mask was applied for all the subnets. This means that each
subnet has the same number of available host addresses. You can need this in some cases, but, in most cases, having the same subnet
mask for all subnets ends up wasting address space. For example, in the Sample Exercise 2 section, a class C network was split into eight
equal-size subnets; however, each subnet did not utilize all available host addresses, which results in wasted address space. Figure
4 illustrates this wasted address space.
Figure 4

Figure 4 illustrates that of the subnets that are being used, NetA, NetC, and NetD have a lot of unused host address space. It is possible
that this was a deliberate design accounting for future growth, but in many cases this is just wasted address space due to the fact that the
same subnet mask is used for all the subnets.
Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSM) allows you to use different masks for each subnet, thereby using address space efficiently.

VLSM Example
Given the same network and requirements as in Sample Exercise 2 develop a subnetting scheme with the use of VLSM, given:
netA: must support 14 hosts
netB: must support 28 hosts
netC: must support 2 hosts
netD: must support 7 hosts
netE: must support 28 host

Determine what mask allows the required number of hosts.

netA: requires a /28 (255.255.255.240) mask to support 14 hosts
netB: requires a /27 (255.255.255.224) mask to support 28 hosts
netC: requires a /30 (255.255.255.252) mask to support 2 hosts
netD*: requires a /28 (255.255.255.240) mask to support 7 hosts
netE: requires a /27 (255.255.255.224) mask to support 28 hosts

* a /29 (255.255.255.248) would only allow 6 usable host addresses

therefore netD requires a /28 mask.

The easiest way to assign the subnets is to assign the largest first. For example, you can assign in this manner:
netB: 204.15.5.0/27 host address range 1 to 30
netE: 204.15.5.32/27 host address range 33 to 62
netA: 204.15.5.64/28 host address range 65 to 78
netD: 204.15.5.80/28 host address range 81 to 94
netC: 204.15.5.96/30 host address range 97 to 98

This can be graphically represented as shown in Figure 5:

Figure 5

Figure 5 illustrates how using VLSM helped save more than half of the address space.
CIDR
Classless Interdomain Routing (CIDR) was introduced in order to improve both address space utilization and routing scalability in the
Internet. It was needed because of the rapid growth of the Internet and growth of the IP routing tables held in the Internet routers.
CIDR moves way from the traditional IP classes (Class A, Class B, Class C, and so on). In CIDR , an IP network is represented by a
prefix, which is an IP address and some indication of the length of the mask. Length means the number of left-most contiguous mask bits
that are set to one. So network 172.16.0.0 255.255.0.0 can be represented as 172.16.0.0/16. CIDR also depicts a more hierarchical
Internet architecture, where each domain takes its IP addresses from a higher level. This allows for the summarization of the domains to
be done at the higher level. For example, if an ISP owns network 172.16.0.0/16, then the ISP can offer 172.16.1.0/24, 172.16.2.0/24, and
so on to customers. Yet, when advertising to other providers, the ISP only needs to advertise 172.16.0.0/16.

For more information on CIDR, see RFC 1518   and RFC 1519  .

Appendix

Sample Config

Routers A and B are connected via serial interface.

Router A
hostname routera
!
ip routing
!
int e 0
ip address 172.16.50.1 255.255.255.0
!(subnet 50)
int e 1 ip address 172.16.55.1 255.255.255.0
!(subnet 55)
int s 0 ip address 172.16.60.1 255.255.255.0
!(subnet 60) int s 0
ip address 172.16.65.1 255.255.255.0 (subnet 65)
!S 0 connects to router B
router rip
network 172.16.0.0

Router B
hostname routerb
!
ip routing
!
int e 0
ip address 192.1.10.200 255.255.255.240
!(subnet 192)
int e 1
ip address 192.1.10.66 255.255.255.240
!(subnet 64)
int s 0
 ip address 172.16.65.2 (same subnet as router A's s 0)
!Int s 0 connects to router A
router rip
network 192.1.10.0
network 172.16.0.0

Host/Subnet Quantities Table

Class B Effective Effective
# bits Mask Subnets Hosts
------- --------------- --------- ---------
1 255.255.128.0 2 32766
2 255.255.192.0 4 16382
3 255.255.224.0 8 8190
4 255.255.240.0 16 4094
5 255.255.248.0 32 2046
6 255.255.252.0 64 1022
7 255.255.254.0 128 510
8 255.255.255.0 256 254
9 255.255.255.128 512 126
10 255.255.255.192 1024 62
11 255.255.255.224 2048 30
12 255.255.255.240 4096 14
13 255.255.255.248 8192 6
14 255.255.255.252 16384 2

Class C Effective Effective

# bits Mask Subnets Hosts
------- --------------- --------- ---------
1 255.255.255.128 2 126
2 255.255.255.192 4 62
3 255.255.255.224 8 30
4 255.255.255.240 16 14
5 255.255.255.248 32 6
6 255.255.255.252 64 2

*Subnet all zeroes and all ones included. These

might not be supported on some legacy systems.
*Host all zeroes and all ones excluded.

Related Information
 IP Subnet Calculator ( registered customers only)
 IP Routing Protocols Technology Support
 Subnet Zero and the All-Ones Subnet
 Host and Subnet Quantities
 Technical Support & Documentation - Cisco Systems

IP Routing
Select from the following IP routing technologies for more in-depth information. Technology-specific resources
available from these pages can assist you with network design, configuration, maintenance and operation,
troubleshooting, and other related topics.
Technology Information
Technology Q&A (5) Technology White Paper (11)
Design
Design TechNotes (88)
Configure
Configuration Examples and TechNotes (186)
Maintain and Operate
Maintain and Operate TechNotes (6)
Troubleshoot and Alerts
Troubleshooting TechNotes (204)

Host and Subnet Quantities

Translations
 
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Updated:August 10, 2005
Document ID:13790

Contents

Introduction

Prerequisites

Requirements

Components Used
 Conventions

Classes

Subnetting and Tables

Class A Host/Subnet Table

Class B Host/Subnet Table

Class C Host/Subnet Table

Subnetting Example

Using 31-Bit Prefixes on IPv4 Point-to-Point Links

Related Information

Introduction
An IP address is 32 bits long and made up of two components, a network portion and a host portion. The network address is used to
identify the network and is common to all the devices attached to the network. The host (or node) address is used to identify a particular
device attached to the network. The IP address is generally represented using the dotted-decimal notation, where 32 bits are divided into
four octets. Each of the octets can be represented in a decimal format, separated by decimal points. For more information on IP
addressing, refer to IP Addressing and Subnetting for New Users.
Prerequisites
Requirements
There are no specific requirements for this document.

Components Used
This document is not restricted to specific software and hardware versions.

Conventions
Refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions for more information on document conventions.
Classes
The following are the classes of IP addresses.

 Class A—The first octet denotes the network address, and the last three octets are the host portion. Any IP address whose first
octet is between 1 and 126 is a Class A address. Note that 0 is reserved as a part of the default address, and 127 is reserved for internal
loopback testing.

 Class B—The first two octets denote the network address, and the last two octets are the host portion. Any address whose first
octet is in the range 128 to 191 is a Class B address.

 Class C—The first three octets denote the network address, and the last octet is the host portion. The first octet range of 192 to
223 is a Class C address.

 Class D—Used for multicast. Multicast IP addresses have their first octets in the range 224 to 239.

 Class E—Reserved for future use and includes the range of addresses with a first octet from 240 to 255.

Subnetting and Tables

 Subnetting is the concept of dividing the network into smaller portions called subnets. This is done by borrowing bits from the host
portion of the IP address, enabling more efficient use of the network address. A subnet mask defines which portion of the address is used
to identify the network and which denotes the hosts.

The following tables show all possible ways a major network can be subnetted, and, in each case, how many effective subnets and hosts
are possible.

There are three tables, one for each class of addresses.

 The first column shows how many bits are borrowed from the host portion of the address for subnetting.

 The second column shows the resulting subnet mask in dotted decimal format.

 The third column shows how many subnets are possible.

 The fourth column shows how many valid hosts are possible on each of these subnets.

 The fifth column shows the number of subnet mask bits.

Class A Host/Subnet Table

Class A
Number of
Bits Borrowed Subnet Effective Number of Number of Subnet
from Host Portion Mask Subnets Hosts/Subnet Mask Bits
------- --------------- --------- ------------- -------------
1 255.128.0.0 2 8388606 /9
2 255.192.0.0 4 4194302 /10
3 255.224.0.0 8 2097150 /11
4 255.240.0.0 16 1048574 /12
5 255.248.0.0 32 524286 /13
6 255.252.0.0 64 262142 /14
7 255.254.0.0 128 131070 /15
8 255.255.0.0 256 65534 /16
9 255.255.128.0 512 32766 /17
10 255.255.192.0 1024 16382 /18
11 255.255.224.0 2048 8190 /19
12 255.255.240.0 4096 4094 /20
13 255.255.248.0 8192 2046 /21
14 255.255.252.0 16384 1022 /22
15 255.255.254.0 32768 510 /23
16 255.255.255.0 65536 254 /24
17 255.255.255.128 131072 126 /25
18 255.255.255.192 262144 62 /26
19 255.255.255.224 524288 30 /27
20 255.255.255.240 1048576 14 /28
21 255.255.255.248 2097152 6 /29
 22 255.255.255.252 4194304 2 /30
23 255.255.255.254 8388608 2* /31

Class B Host/Subnet Table

Class B Subnet Effective Effective Number of Subnet
Bits Mask Subnets Hosts Mask Bits
------- --------------- --------- --------- -------------
1 255.255.128.0 2 32766 /17
2 255.255.192.0 4 16382 /18
3 255.255.224.0 8 8190 /19
4 255.255.240.0 16 4094 /20
5 255.255.248.0 32 2046 /21
6 255.255.252.0 64 1022 /22
7 255.255.254.0 128 510 /23
8 255.255.255.0 256 254 /24
9 255.255.255.128 512 126 /25
10 255.255.255.192 1024 62 /26
11 255.255.255.224 2048 30 /27
12 255.255.255.240 4096 14 /28
13 255.255.255.248 8192 6 /29
14 255.255.255.252 16384 2 /30
15 255.255.255.254 32768 2* /31

Class C Host/Subnet Table

Class C Subnet Effective Effective Number of Subnet
Bits Mask Subnets Hosts Mask Bits
------- --------------- --------- --------- --------------
1 255.255.255.128 2 126 /25
2 255.255.255.192 4 62 /26
3 255.255.255.224 8 30 /27
4 255.255.255.240 16 14 /28
5 255.255.255.248 32 6 /29
6 255.255.255.252 64 2 /30
7 255.255.255.254 128 2* /31

Subnetting Example
The first entry in the Class A table (/10 subnet mask) borrows two bits (the leftmost bits) from the host portion of the network for
subnetting, then with two bits you have four (22) combinations, 00, 01, 10, and 11. Each of these will represent a subnet.
Binary Notation Decimal Notation
-------------------------------------------------- -----------------
xxxx xxxx. 0000 0000.0000 0000.0000 0000/10 ------> X.0.0.0/10
xxxx xxxx. 0100 0000.0000 0000.0000 0000/10 ------> X.64.0.0/10
xxxx xxxx. 1000 0000.0000 0000.0000 0000/10 ------> X.128.0.0/10
xxxx xxxx. 1100 0000.0000 0000.0000 0000/10 ------> X.192.0.0/10
 Out of these four subnets, 00 and 11 are called subnet zero and the all-ones subnet, respectively. Prior to Cisco IOS ® Software Release
12.0, the ip subnet-zero global configuration command was required to be able to configure subnet zero on an interface. In Cisco IOS
12.0, ip subnet-zero is enabled by default. For more information on the all-ones subnet and subnet zero, refer to Subnet Zero and the
All-Ones Subnet.
Note: The subnet zero and all-ones subnet are included in the effective number of subnets as shown in the third column.
Since the host portion has now lost two bits, the host portion will have only 22 bits (out of the last three octets). This means the complete
Class A network is now divided (or subnetted) into four subnets, and each subnet can have 2 22 hosts (4194304). A host portion with all
zeros is network number itself, and a host portion with all ones is reserved for broadcast on that subnet, leaving the effective number of
hosts to 4194302 (222 – 2), as shown in the fourth column. An exception to this rule is 31-bit prefixes, marked with an asterisk ( * ).
Using 31-Bit Prefixes on IPv4 Point-to-Point Links
RFC 3021   describes using 31-bit prefixes for point-to-point links. This leaves 1 bit for the host-id portion of the IP address.
Normally a host-id of all zeros is used to represent the network or subnet, and a host-id of all ones is used to represent a directed
broadcast. Using 31-Bit prefixes, the host-id of 0 represents one host, and a host-id of 1 represents the other host of a point-to-point link.
Local link (limited) broadcasts (255.255.255.255) can still be used with 31-bit prefixes. But directed broadcasts are not possible to a 31-
bit prefix. This is not really a problem because most routing protocols use multicast, limited broadcasts, or unicasts.

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 Servers - Unified Computing (UCS)
 Interfaces, Modules, and Cards  
 
All Supported Products
 My Devices View All

My Devices is a lightweight, feature-rich web application for tracking your Cisco devices. Simply Log-In and add Serial Numbers to see
contract and product lifecycle status, access support information, and open TAC Cases for your covered devices.

Log In

My Support
 View Open Cases 
 Software Downloads 
 Devices

 Recently Viewed Products

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 Feedback
Tools
 Bug Search Tool 
Find software bugs based on product, release and keyword
 Register & Manage Software Licenses 
Product License Registration Tool
 Download Software 
Get the latest updates, patches and releases from Cisco Software
 Software Research 
View Cisco suggestions for supported products
 Collaboration Solutions Analyzer  
Suite of tools to assist you in the day to day operations of your Collaboration infrastructure.
 Cisco CLI Analyzer 
The Cisco CLI Analyzer is a smart SSH client with internal TAC tools and integrated knowledge for troubleshooting.
View All ToolsLogin Required 
Contacts / Support Cases
Open New Case
To open or view cases, you need a Service Contract
Manage Support Cases

Contact TAC by Phone

 Enterprise and Service Provider Products
US/Canada 800-553-2447
 Worldwide Phone Numbers
 Small Business Products
US/Canada 866-606-1866

Worldwide Phone Numbers

 Returns
Returns Portal
Support Resources
 Security Advisories 
 Field Notices 
 My Notifications 
 Cisco Cloud Status 
 
 Cisco Community
 Partner Support
 Small Business Product Support