In IPv4 subnetting, what is the difference between a network address and a broadcast address?

• A. The network address identifies the subnet itself; the broadcast address targets all hosts within that subnet.
• B. The network address targets all hosts within the subnet; the broadcast address identifies the subnet.
• C. The network address is used for routing; the broadcast is used for control messages.
• D. The network address is the host address; the broadcast is the gateway address.

Answer: (A)

In subnetting, the network address identifies the subnet itself. It’s the first address in the range, produced by applying the subnet mask so that all host bits are zero. This address is used to identify where the subnet begins and is not assigned to any single device. The broadcast address, by contrast, is the last address in the range, created when all host bits are one. It’s used to deliver a message to every host within that subnet at once and also isn’t assigned to a single host.

For example, in a 192.168.1.0/24 subnet, the network address is 192.168.1.0 and the broadcast address is 192.168.1.255; usable hosts would be 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.254. There are special cases (like point-to-point /31 or single-host /32 subnets) where the traditional broadcast concept doesn’t apply, but in typical subnets these two addresses serve distinct, non-host roles.