In standard classful addressing, Class A addresses devote 1 byte to the network ID and 3 bytes to the host ID, Class B addresses devote 2 bytes to the network ID and 2 bytes to the host ID, and Class C addresses devote 3 bytes to the network ID and 1 byte to the host ID. The purpose of a subnet mask is to provide IP, routing protocols, and any other software that has to deal with addresses with