Final answer:
The maximum number of IP addresses for a subnet depends on the subnet mask, and to find the number of usable IP addresses, we use the formula 2^n - 2, where n is the number of host bits. The number 8388606 is closest to this formula, indicating it could represent the number of usable IP addresses for a certain subnet mask.
Step-by-step explanation:
The maximum number of IP addresses that can be assigned to hosts on a local subnet depends on the subnet mask used. A subnet mask determines how many bits are used for the network portion and how many bits are used for the host portion of an IP address. For example, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 allows for 256 total IP addresses, but since one is the subnet address and another is the broadcast address, the actual number of usable IP addresses for hosts is 254.
To answer the question, we need to know how many bits are available for the host portion of the address, and then we calculate the number of usable IP addresses by raising 2 to the power of the number of host bits, and subtract 2 (one for the subnet address and one for the broadcast address). None of the numbers provided exactly match the formula for calculating the number of hosts, but the closest number that seems to follow the format of 2^n - 2 is 8388606. Therefore, without the specific subnet mask number, we cannot determine the exact number of usable IP addresses, but 8388606 seems to resemble a calculated number following the standard formula of 2^n - 2 for network calculations