Internet of Things (IoT) Practice Exam

What is the maximum number of possible IPv4 addresses?

1. 2^32

2. 2^64

3. 2^128

4. 2^256

The correct answer is: 2^32

The maximum number of possible IPv4 addresses is determined by the size of the IPv4 address space, which is 32 bits. Each bit in the address can be either 0 or 1, leading to a total of 2 raised to the power of 32 different combinations. This results in a numerical value of 4,294,967,296 possible unique IPv4 addresses. This computation reflects the limitation inherent in the IPv4 address scheme, which ultimately restricts the number of available addresses due to its fixed length. The other options represent different address sizes. For instance, the calculation of 2^64, 2^128, and 2^256 addresses relate to different protocols—specifically, IPv6 uses 128 bits, allowing for a vastly larger address space, while the numbers represented by 2^64 and 2^256 would not be applicable in this context. Thus, the only correct answer, aligned with the standard definition of IPv4 addressing, is 2^32.