Final answer:
To maximize the number of hosts while creating four subnets from the 192.168.1.0/24 network, you should utilize a /26 subnet mask. This results in four subnets: 192.168.1.0/26, 192.168.1.64/26, 192.168.1.128/26, and 192.168.1.192/26, each supporting up to 62 usable IP addresses for hosts.
Step-by-step explanation:
You are tasked with creating four subnets for a small office/home office (SOHO) network using the 192.168.1.0/24 address range, aiming to maximize the number of hosts per subnet. To achieve this, you will need to use a subnet mask that supports sufficient host addresses for your needs, while also allowing for the creation of the four required subnets.
Given that the original network is a /24, which allows for 256 addresses (254 usable for hosts), subnetting into /26 provides four subnets with 64 addresses each (62 usable for hosts). Here are the four subnets derived from the original network:
- 192.168.1.0/26
- 192.168.1.64/26
- 192.168.1.128/26
- 192.168.1.192/26
Each option provided represents one of these four subnets. Options a), b), c), and d) are all valid subnets created from the original 192.168.1.0/24 network when utilizing a /26 subnet mask.