What is the maximum number of hosts that can be accommodated in a Class A network?

In a Class A network, the first octet (or 8 bits) of the IP address indicates the network portion, while the remaining 24 bits are used for host addresses. A Class A network begins with a first octet in the range of 1 to 126.

To calculate the maximum number of hosts that can be accommodated, you can use the formula 2^n - 2, where n represents the number of bits available for hosts. In a Class A network, since 24 bits are available for host addressing, the calculation would be:

2^24 - 2 = 16,777,216 - 2 = 16,777,214.

The subtraction of 2 accounts for the network address (the first address in the range) and the broadcast address (the last address in the range), as these cannot be assigned to individual hosts. This makes 16,777,214 the maximum number of usable host addresses in a Class A network.

Other options, such as those representing the maximum host capacities in Class B and Class C networks, do not apply in this scenario, as they utilize fewer host bits and thus have lower maximum accommodations.