Limitations of Large Networks

Although a /8 network address allows for 16 million host addresses, in reality, it is impractical to have that many hosts sharing a single physical network

Topological Limitations
Many LAN topologies don't allow 16 million nodes on a single physical network.Excessive Collisions If any two nodes on an ethernet network transmit at the same instant, a collision results and both nodes must attempt to retransmit. As the number of nodes on the network increases,the likelihood of collisions increases as well.Administrative Challenges Simply keeping track of who has which IP address in a 16- million node network would be an administrative challenge for even the best network administrator.Poor Network Performance All of these issues result in degraded network performance as more and more hosts compete for limited bandwidth on a network

Excessive Collisions
If any two nodes on an ethernet network transmit at the same instant, a collision results and both nodes must attempt to retransmit. As the number of nodes on the network increases,the likelihood of collisions increases as well

Administrative Challenges
Simply keeping track of who has which IP address in a 16- million node network would mbe an administrative challenge for even the best network administrator

Poor Network Performance
All of these issues result in degraded network performance as more and more hosts compete for limited bandwidth on a network.