Question 60
A branch receives 172.29.104.0/24 and must divide it into four equal networks for separate floors. What prefix length should each resulting subnet use?
Explanation
Correct Answer
Four equal subnets require two additional network bits because two bits represent four subnet IDs. Extending the original /24 to /26 creates 64-address blocks at .0, .64, .128 and .192. These are nonoverlapping and exhaust the original /24.
Incorrect Answers
Borrowing one bit from /24 yields only two /25 networks rather than the required four. Each /25 consumes half the original block.
Borrowing three bits yields eight /27 networks. That would divide the allocation more finely than four equal groups and is not the specified equal partition.
Repeating the parent /24 four times would overlap the same 256-address allocation. Prefixes must be lengthened to produce independently routed subnet IDs.