How many peripherals can a Universal Serial Bus manage simultaneously?

A Universal Serial Bus (USB) can manage a maximum of 127 peripherals simultaneously. This limit is established by the USB architecture, which allows for a single host controller to connect to multiple devices through a tiered star topology. Each USB device is addressed by the host, and there are specific limits on the number of devices to ensure proper communication and functioning of the bus.

The number 127 includes multiple types of devices, such as hubs and endpoints. Importantly, while the USB specification allows for this quantity, practical limitations such as power distribution, bus bandwidth, and the specific capabilities of the USB host controller can affect the actual number of usable devices in any given setup.

Other options like 128, 227, and 228 either exceed this established maximum or do not align with the design specifications set forth in the USB standards.