Final answer:
The function used to associate a socket with an IP address and port is bind(). It is vital in network programming for setting up a server socket to listen for incoming connections.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is option a) bind(). In network programming, the bind() function is used to associate a socket with a specific IP address and port number. This is an essential step when creating a server that will listen for incoming connections. After a socket is created using the socket() function, the bind() function is called to tie the socket to a particular IP address and port so it can receive incoming messages addressed to that endpoint. The connect() function, on the other hand, is used by the client to establish a connection to the server after the server has bound its socket.