job screening question

Sun Jul 8 01:26:28 UTC 2012

> > "What's the problem with using 255.255.255.247 as a subnet
> > mask if you want to make a LAN subnet with 12 hosts?"
> >   (5 word answer)

> My response would be: Discontiguous subnet masks were allowed in the pre-CIDR
> era. If you so desire, give me about 2 hours since I do not have a scientific
> calculator handy; and I will get back to you with the complete-list.

> Definitely not 5 words as required from the HR stand point. So I get
> disqualified again!

Hehehe.  Ok.  So if this was 1986 then the answer would be:

No Hosts on the Network. 

There is only 1 host bit, and both available addresses would be reserved for the directed-broadcast and subnet-broadcast address respectively, leaving no space for an actual host, let alone 12 of them.

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