A network on the Internet has a subnet mask of 255.255.240.0. What is the…
2014
A network on the Internet has a subnet mask of 255.255.240.0. What is the maximum number of hosts it can handle ?
- A.
1024
- B.
2048
- C.
4096
- D.
8192
Attempted by 199 students.
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Correct answer: C
Key insight: convert the subnet mask to a prefix length and count the host bits.
Convert the mask 255.255.240.0 to binary: 11111111.11111111.11110000.00000000, which is a /20 prefix.
Count the host bits: 32 total bits − 20 network bits = 12 host bits.
Total addresses = 2^12 = 4096.
Usable host addresses for devices (if asked) = total − 2 (network and broadcast) = 4094.
Answer: The subnet can handle 4096 total addresses; if the question means assignable hosts, that is 4094 usable hosts.