Just wondering when subnet mask are actually needed... Just that I noticed that some people have (internal) IP addresses of 10.x.x.x but have 255.255.255 subnet masks and sometimes people have the right subnet mask of 255.x.x.x. any ideas?
Typically for a 10.0.0.x or 192.168.0.x subnet, you will have a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0
Sometimes ISP's assign actual public IP address where the subnet mask may change. In this case another common one would be something like 255.255.255.248
i may be wrong but, the subnet mask defines the maximum amount of computers that can be connected in that IP range.
255.255.255.0 allows 256 computers
255.255.0.0 allows ....... well, lots more.
You're correct, and a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0 will allow millions! Note that many SOHO router products can only deal with a single class C network, so the subnet mask will normally be 255.255.255.0, which should suffice for most home uses.
A subnet mask defines how many host bits are used and how many network bits are used. The only time you will ever need to create a custom subnet mask is when you're breaking up a large LAN into smaller segments and each segment will have a router between them.
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