How many bits are used for the network portion in a Class B IP address?

How many bits are used for the network portion in a Class B IP address?

Step 1: Understand that an IP address is made up of 32 bits in total.
Step 2: Know that IP addresses are divided into classes (A, B, C, etc.) based on the first few bits.
Step 3: For Class B IP addresses, the first two bits are always '10'.
Step 4: This means that the remaining bits for the network portion are the next 14 bits, plus the first two bits.
Step 5: Therefore, the total number of bits used for the network portion in a Class B IP address is 16 bits.

Class B IP Addressing – Class B IP addresses use the first two octets (16 bits) for the network portion, allowing for a significant number of hosts within each network.
Subnetting Basics – Understanding how IP addresses are divided into network and host portions is crucial for subnetting and network design.