The bits in the mask identify both hosts and subnets. The more hosts, the fewer subnets; the more subnets, the fewer hosts can be individually addressed. These bits become a tradeoff based on the ...

The following summarizes how networks, subnetworks and hosts are identified in the TCP/IP protocol. An IP address is first divided between networks and hosts. The host bits are further divided between ...

A subnet allows the flow of network traffic between hosts to be segregated based on a network configuration. By organizing hosts into logical groups, subnetting can improve network security and ...