Types of Address Objects

Since there are multiple types of network address expressions, there are currently the following Address Objects types:

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Host – Host Address Objects define a single host by its IP address. The netmask for a Host Address Object will automatically be set to 32-bit (255.255.255.255) to identify it as a single host. For example, “My Web Server,” with an IP address of 67.115.118.110 and a default netmask of 255.255.255.255.

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Range – Range Address Objects define a range of contiguous IP addresses. No netmask is associated with Range Address Objects, but internal logic generally treats each member of the specified range as a 32-bit masked Host object. For example “My Public Servers” with an IP address starting value of 67.115.118.66 and an ending value of 67.115.118.90. All 25 individual host addresses in this range would be comprised by this Range Address Object.

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Network – Network Address Objects are like Range objects in that they comprise multiple hosts, but rather than being bound by specified upper and lower range delimiters, the boundaries are defined by a valid netmask. Network Address Objects must be defined by the network’s address and a corresponding netmask. For example “My Public Network” with a Network Value of 67.115.118.64 and a netmask of 255.255.255.224 would comprise addresses from 67.115.118.64 through to 67.115.118.95. As a general rule, the first address in a network (the network address) and the last address in a network (the broadcast address) are unusable.

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MAC – MAC Address Objects allow for the identification of a host by its hardware address or MAC (Media Access Control) address. MAC addresses are uniquely assigned to every piece of wired or wireless networking device by their hardware manufacturers, and are intended to be immutable. MAC addresses are 48-bit values that are expressed in 6-byte hex-notation. For example “My Access Point” with a MAC address of 00:06:01:AB:02:CD. MAC addresses are resolved to an IP address by referring to the ARP cache on the security appliance MAC address objects are used by various components of Wireless configurations throughout SonicOS.

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FQDN – FQDN address objects allow for the identification of a host by its Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN), such as www.sonicwall.com. FQDNs are be resolved to their IP address (or IP addresses) using the DNS server configured on the security appliance. Wildcard entries are supported through the gleaning of responses to queries sent to the sanctioned DNS servers.