88 APPENDIX C: IP ADDRESSING
The subnet mask 255.255.255.255 is reserved as the default broadcast 
address.
Default Gateways A gateway is a device on your network which is used to forward IP 
packets to a remote destination. An alternative name for a gateway is a 
Router. “Remote” refers to a destination device that is not directly 
attached to the same network segment as the source device. 
The source device cannot send IP packets directly to the destination 
device because it is in a different network segment. Instead you configure 
it to send the packets to a gateway which is attached to multiple 
segments.
When it receives the IP packets, the gateway determines the next 
network hop on the path to the remote destination, and sends the 
packets to that hop. This could either be the remote destination or 
another gateway closer towards the destination. 
This hop-by-hop process continues until the IP packets reach the remote 
destination.
If manually configuring IP information for the Switch, enter the IP address 
of the default gateway on the local subnet in which the Switch is located. 
If no default gateway exists on your network, enter the IP address 
0.0.0.0 or leave the field blank.
Table 12   Subnet Mask Notation
Standard Mask Notation Network Prefix Notation
100.100.100.100 (255.0.0.0) 100.100.100.100/8
100.100.100.100 (255.255.0.0) 100.100.100.100/16
100.100.100.100 (255.255.255.0) 100.100.100.100/24