Which subnetting method allows each subnet to have a different number of hosts based on requirements?

• A. NAT
• B. VLSM
• C. Subnetting with fixed sizes
• D. VLANs

Answer: (B)

Variable-Length Subnet Masking lets you tailor the size of each subnet to exactly how many hosts it needs by using different subnet masks in the same IP network. Instead of forcing every subnet to have the same number of usable addresses, you assign a mask that yields at least the required hosts for each subnet. For example, a subnet needing 60 hosts can be allocated a /26, which provides 62 usable addresses, while a subnet needing only 14 hosts can use a /28, which provides 14 usable addresses. This approach makes efficient use of the address space and reduces waste. Other options don’t offer this per-subnet sizing: NAT is about translating addresses rather than subnet sizing, fixed-size subnetting assigns equal sizes to all subnets, and VLANs separate broadcast domains but don’t by themselves adjust the number of hosts per subnet within a network.