IP range addresses

Where the subnet address is good a representing a standardized group of addresses that are subnets the IP Range type of address can describe a group of addresses while being specific and granular. It does this by specifying a continuous set of IP addresses between one specific IP address and another. While it is most common that this range is with a subnet it is not a requirement. For instance, 192.168.1.0/24 and 192.168.2.0/24 would be 2 separate subnets but if you wanted to describe the top half of one and the bottom half of the other you could describe the range of 192.168.1.128-192.168.2.127. It’s also a lot easier that trying to calculate the correct subnet mask.

The format would be:

x.x.x.x-x.x.x.x, such as 192.168.110.100-192.168.110.120

There is a notation that is commonly used and accepted by some devices that follows the format:

x.x.x.[x-x], such as 192.168.110.[100-120]

This format is not recognized in FortiOS 5.2 as a valid IP Range.

Creating a IP range address

1. Go to Policy & Objects > Addresses.
2. Select Create New. A drop down menu is displayed. Select Address
3. In the Category field, chose Address(IPv4 addresses) or IPv6 Address.
4. Input a Name for the address object.
5. In the Type field, select IP Range from the drop down menu.
6. In the Subnet / IP Range field, enter the range of addresses in the following format: x.x.x.x-x.x.x.x (no spaces)
7. In the Interface field, leave as the default any or select a specific interface from the drop down menu. (This setting is not available for IPv6 addresses)
8. Select the desired on/off toggle setting for Show in Address List. If the setting is enabled the address will appear in drop down menus where it is an option.
9. Input any additional information in the Comments field.
10. Press OK.

Example

Example of a IP Range address for a group of computers set aside for guests on the company network.

Field	Value
Category	Address or IPv6 Address
Name	Guest_users
Type	IP Range
Subnet / IP Range	192.168.100.200-192.168.100.240
Interface	Port1
Show in Address List	[on]
Comments	Computers on the 1st floor used by guests for Internet access.

IP Range addresses can be configured for both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The only differences in creating an IPv6 IP Range address is that you would choose IPv6 Address for the Category and the syntax of the address in the Subnet/IP Range field would be in the format of 2001:0db8:0000:0002:0:0:0:20-2001:0db8:0000:0004:0:0:0:20