BIN2OCT

Converts a binary number to octal.

Syntax:

BIN2OCT(binarynumber)

returns text representing a octal number, given binarynumber, which may be text, or a number containing only digits 1 and 0 (thus the number appears to be binary although it is not).

binarynumber may have up to ten bits in two's complement representation; positive numbers are 0 to 111111111 (nine bits representing 0 to 511 decimal) and negative numbers 1111111111 to 1000000000 (ten bits representing -1 to -512 decimal)

If binarynumber is negative, BIN2OCT returns ten octal digits, representing the octal number in two's complement form.

Example:

BIN2OCT("1100")

returns 14 as text.

BIN2OCT(1100)

returns 14 as text. The number 1100 has only 1 and 0 digits, and may be read as binary.

BIN2OCT("1100", 3)

returns 014 as text. A leading zero is added to make 3 digits.

BIN2OCT("1111111110")

returns 7777777776 as text (two's complement representation of decimal -2).

Application:

Network Device Configuration

Imagine you're a network administrator working with older or specialized network devices, such as a legacy router or a programmable logic controller (PLC). These devices sometimes use binary notation for specific settings, like a subnet mask or an access control list (ACL) rule, but the device's diagnostic output or a specific configuration utility might display the same information in octal for brevity.

In this scenario, a junior administrator is tasked with verifying a specific ACL rule on a legacy router. The rule is defined in a configuration file using binary notation, but the device's diagnostic interface displays the active rules in octal. To verify the rule, the junior administrator needs to convert the binary value to its octal equivalent.

The Rule: The ACL rule is meant to block traffic from a specific IP range. The binary value representing a portion of this rule is 11010110.

The junior administrator needs to convert this binary value to octal to compare it with the router's output. This is where the BIN2OCT function (or manual conversion) would be used.

Using BIN2OCT:

Input: The binary value is 11010110.
Function: BIN2OCT(11010110)
Output: 326

Manual Conversion for Verification:

The junior administrator can also perform the conversion manually to double-check the result.

Group the binary digits: Group the binary number into sets of three, starting from the right. Add leading zeros if necessary. 11 010 110 -> 011 010 110
Convert each group to decimal:
- 011 = (0∗22)+(1∗21)+(1∗20)=0+2+1=3
- 010 = (0∗22)+(1∗21)+(0∗20)=0+2+0=2
- 110 = (1∗22)+(1∗21)+(0∗20)=4+2+0=6
Combine the results: The octal number is 326.

Table Representation:

This table shows the binary value, the manual conversion steps, and the final octal result, mirroring what might be done in a spreadsheet or for documentation.

	Binary Value	Grouped Binary	Octal Equivalent
	A	B	C
1	11010110	011 010 110	326
2	11100010	011 100 010	342
3	00111101	001 111 101	75

Conclusion:

By using the BIN2OCT function, the junior administrator can confidently verify that the binary rule 11010110 in the configuration file corresponds to the octal value 326 displayed on the device's diagnostic interface. This process ensures the rule is correctly applied and the network is secure. While this specific scenario might be less common today, it highlights how BIN2OCT is a useful tool for translating between number bases in technical and specialized fields.