For those that were breathlessly waiting for me to publish one of my Sys Admin tools.. here is a little one, that I discussed a couple of weeks back.

It’s the CIDR Block Notation Converter. I use it quite frequently in my line of work. Now, I could of course used many of the other online CIDR translates available. Simply using a tool (like a car, or a computer) often requires little or no knowledge of how it, or one of it’s sub-systems works. But, to fully utilize a tool, you should understand it’s origin, it’s function and often you will find other, unrealized purposes for the tool.

Such as the car. You get your driver’s license (people should also need a computer license, they can also be dangerous to one’s self), plob behind the seat and go to the store. But, if you understand some of the mechanics, you might realize it’s useful for more than getting your latte at StarSucks, or a back of dog bones at the pet store. With a little tweaking, you could use it to cross deserts, mountains, even compete and MAKE MONEY with it.

A little knowledge is a powerful thing, so I embarked on reading the specifications for IPv4 (not ipv6… not going there.. yet, in fact I don’t believe CIDR notation has any meaning in IPv6.. digressing..) and CIDR notation so that I could not only understand it’s inner utility but how to write a converter of my own.

If you found utility in it.. awesome, I hope you post a comment (good or bad) to say thinks.