ARP

What is ARP?

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol used to find the MAC address associated with a given IP address on a network.

In Simple Terms

  • ARP is a method to determine the MAC address of a device when you know its IP address.
  • It is essentially a protocol that specifies how to translate IP addresses into MAC addresses.

Detailed Explanation

  1. IP Address: A unique identifier for a device on a network, like “198.51.100.2”.
  2. MAC Address: A hardware address assigned to a network interface, used for data transfer on the local network.

ARP works as follows:

  • When a device needs to send data to another device on the same network, it must know the recipient’s MAC address.
  • The device sends out a broadcast request to all devices on the network asking, “Who has this IP address? Please send me your MAC address.”
  • The device with the matching IP address responds with its MAC address.
  • The requesting device can then use this MAC address to send data to the intended recipient.

Summary

  • ARP is used to map an IP address to a MAC address in a network.
  • When you encounter “ARP,” think of it as the protocol for finding out which MAC address corresponds to a given IP address.