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Question

Difficulty: EasyIPv4 Addressing and Subnetting

A network administrator is configuring a new subnet assigned a /26/26 CIDR prefix. What is the maximum number of usable host IP addresses that can be assigned to devices on this subnet?

Answer: 62 hosts

Answer

The maximum number of usable host IP addresses on a /26/26 subnet is 62.
A /26/26 subnet prefix leaves 32−26=632 - 26 = 6 bits for host assignment. The total address capacity is 26=642^6 = 64 IP addresses. Subtracting the network identifier and broadcast address yields 64−2=6264 - 2 = 62 usable host addresses.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine host portion bit length
6 bits (32−26=632 - 26 = 6)
IPv4 addresses consist of 32 bits total. Subtracting the prefix length yields the number of bits allocated for host addresses.
2
Calculate total address space
64 IP addresses (26=642^6 = 64)
The total number of unique address combinations is 2h2^h, where hh is the number of host bits.
3
Subtract reserved addresses
62 usable host addresses (64−2=6264 - 2 = 62)
The network address (all host bits 0) and the broadcast address (all host bits 1) cannot be assigned to endpoints.

Key Concept

Calculating usable host count from IPv4 CIDR prefix length
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Topics

IPv4 Addressing and Subnetting

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