Final answer:
The maximum number of IP addresses that can be assigned to hosts on a subnet is determined by the subnet mask, using the formula 2^(32 - subnet bits) - 2, with 'subnet bits' being the number of bits for the subnet portion and the '-2' accounting for the network and broadcast addresses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking about the maximum number of IP addresses that can be assigned to hosts on a local subnet using a specified subnet mask. The number of usable IP addresses on a network is determined by the subnet mask assigned to that network. With a given subnet mask, the number of hosts can be calculated using the formula 2(32 - subnet bits) - 2, where 'subnet bits' is the number of bits reserved for the subnet portion of the address. The '-2' accounts for the network address and the broadcast address, which cannot be assigned to hosts.
Example:
If the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, then the subnet bits are 24 (this is a /24 or 'slash twenty-four' subnet). The calculation would be 2(32 - 24) - 2 = 28 - 2 = 256 - 2 = 254. So, the maximum number of IP addresses assignable to hosts on this subnet would be 254.