Final answer:
A network with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.224 has a total of 32 IP addresses, out of which 30 are usable for host devices after excluding one network and one broadcast address.
Step-by-step explanation:
The total number of IP addresses contained within a network with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.224 can be determined by calculating the number of bits used for host addresses in the subnet. This particular mask uses a /27 prefix, which means that 27 out of the 32 bits in the address are used for the network portion, leaving 5 bits for host addresses.
To calculate the total number of IP addresses, we raise 2 to the power of the number of host bits (2^5), which equals 32. However, within this range, one address is reserved for the network address, and another is reserved for the broadcast address. Therefore, the usable IP addresses in this subnet are 32 - 2 = 30.
So, including the network and broadcast addresses, the total IP addresses in a subnet with a mask of 255.255.255.224 is 32.