For a setup with 300 IPs required, which CIDR subnet should be selected?

To determine the appropriate CIDR subnet for a setup with 300 required IP addresses, it's important to understand how many usable IP addresses each subnet size provides.

A /24 subnet offers 256 addresses in total (from 0 to 255) but only 254 usable addresses after reserving the network and broadcast addresses. This is insufficient for the requirement of 300 IPs.

A /22 subnet provides 1,024 total addresses, of which 1,022 are usable. This exceeds the requirement for 300 IPs and could be considered an option if the goal were only to cover the number of IPs needed, but the best fit for specifically aiming at the threshold is crucial.

A /23 subnet generates 512 total addresses, yielding 510 usable ones. This comfortably accommodates the 300 required addresses without wasting excessive IPs, making it a suitable choice.

On the other hand, a /20 subnet offers 4,096 total addresses, out of which 4,094 are usable. While this option provides ample addresses, it represents a much larger allocation than what is necessary for just 300 IPs.

Choosing the /23 subnet effectively balances the needed capacity while avoiding significant over-allocation of addresses, ensuring efficient resource management