does this create larger broadcasts, or does it go on how many hosts are actuallt plugged in the lan ? and if I didnt need 16 million odd hosts would I just subnet the 10.x.x.x address off to my requirement ?

Hi! Each subnet is actually a broadcast domain, meaning you can have up to 254 hosts on that broadcast domain. A /24 is basically the easiest way to creat a subnet but of course you can subnet your network based on your host requirement. For example, you only need a subnet for up to 14 hosts, you can use the /28 subnet.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Albert

so what are the benifits of subnetting down then ? If I only have 10 pc's say on a /8 address would this make any difference in using a /24 address, performace wise ?

Hi!

Actually, this is more of a security reason. You surely do not want people pluggin into your network, putting in a Class A /8 address and accessing other hosts on your PC right? Another is ease of management, let's say you are to build up a small company with several small departments consisting of not more than 100 persons, having 254 IP addresses per department would be easier to note down and manage (in case you lost your records) rather than having to identify from 16 Million from on a /8. Performance wise, else you're running DHCP on your router, the router can handle it. ?

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Albert