Convert subnet mask to a wildcard mask
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Wildcard Mask is a 32-bit number similar to a Subnet Mask. Like a subnet mask, a wildcard mask is used in subnetting to identify a group of IP addresses. However, unlike a subnet mask, a wildcard mask does not specify which portion of the IP address is the host and network portions. Instead, it specifies which portion of the IP address should be ignored (masked out) when performing a routing operation.
Wildcard masks are primarily used in access control rules and routing. Access control rules contain matches for specific patterns or ranges of IP addresses. Wildcard masks, when used alongside subnet masks, provide a more agile and powerful method of outlining and matching groups of IP addresses on a network.
In binary notation, the structure of a wildcard mask consists of a series of zeros followed by a series of ones. Typically, the wildcard mask is the inverse of the subnet mask. In a wildcard mask, the zeros represent the bits that should be matched, while the ones represent the bits that should be ignored. For example, a wildcard mask of 0.255.255.255 would comprise 24 zeros and 8 ones. The first eight bits of the octet are matched, while the remaining 24 zeros would be ignored.