Address Resolution Protocol Definition

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In computer networking, the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is the method for finding a host's hardware address when only its IP address is known. Due to the overwhelming prevalence of IPv4 and Ethernet, Address Resolution Protocol is primarily used to translate IP addresses to Ethernet MAC addresses. It can, however, easily be used for IP over ATM or FDDI.

Address Resolution Protocol is used in four cases of two hosts communicating:

• When two hosts are on the same network and one desires to send a packet to the other
• When two hosts are on different networks and must use a gateway/router to reach the other host
• When a router needs to forward a packet for one host through another router
• When a router needs to forward a packet from one host to the destination host on the same network

The first case is used when two hosts are on the same physical network (that is, they can directly communicate without going through a router). The last three cases are the most used over the Internet as two computers on the internet are typically separated by more than 3 hops.

Imagine computer A sends a packet to computer D and there are two routers, B & C, between them. Case 2 covers A sending to B; case 3 covers B sending to C; and case 4 covers C sending to D.

ARP is defined in RFC 826.

Variants of the Address Resolution Protocol

Address Resolution Protocol was not originally designed as an IP-only protocol although today it is primarily used to map IP addresses to MAC addresses.

Address Resolution Protocolcan be used to resolve MAC addresses to many different Layer 3 protocols addresses. Address Resolution Protocol has also been adapted to resolve other kinds of Layer 2 addresses; for example, ATMARP is used to resolve ATM NSAP addresses in the Classical IP over ATM protocol.

Address Resolution Protocol Mediation

ARP Mediation refers to the process of resolving Layer 2 addresses when different resolution protocols are used on either circuit, for e.g. ATM on one end and Ethernet on the other.

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