taap.digitalnetwork engineering toolkit

What is the wildcard mask for a /29?

Answer
0.0.0.7 wildcard for /29 (255.255.255.248)

A /29 has the subnet mask 255.255.255.248. Subtract it from 255.255.255.255 and you get the wildcard 0.0.0.7: the last 3 bits are "don't care", so it matches 8 consecutive addresses.

wildcard · adjust the values

The calculation

255.255.255.255 − 255.255.255.248 = 0.0.0.7

A /29 block is typically a 6-host block, common for public IP ranges handed out by ISPs. With the network 10.0.0.0, the wildcard 0.0.0.7 matches 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.0.7.

Using it in Cisco IOS

! standard ACL
access-list 10 permit 10.0.0.0 0.0.0.7

! named extended ACL
ip access-list extended FROM-SITE
 permit ip 10.0.0.0 0.0.0.7 any

! OSPF
router ospf 1
 network 10.0.0.0 0.0.0.7 area 0

Junos, Arista EOS, MikroTik and Linux use the prefix form instead: 10.0.0.0/29.

Nearby prefixes

PrefixSubnet maskWildcardAddresses
/27255.255.255.2240.0.0.3132
/28255.255.255.2400.0.0.1516
/29255.255.255.2480.0.0.78
/30255.255.255.2520.0.0.34

More questions like this

Frequently asked questions

How many addresses does 0.0.0.7 match?

8. The wildcard has 3 one-bits, and 23 = 8.

Is 0.0.0.7 the same as 255.255.255.248?

No. 255.255.255.248 is the subnet mask; 0.0.0.7 is its bitwise inverse. Putting the subnet mask where IOS expects a wildcard matches the wrong addresses.