1. What is a subnet?

A sub-network, or subnet, is a logical, visible subdivision of an IP network. The practice

of dividing a network into two or more networks is called sub-netting. Computers that
belong to a subnet are addressed with a common, identical, most-significant bit-group in
their IP address.
2. What is subnet masking?
A subnet mask is a screen of numbers used for routing traffic within a subnet. Once
a packet has arrived at an organization's gateway or connection point with its unique network
number, it can be routed to its destination within the organization's internal gateways using
the subnet number.