312-50V10 · Question #506
Which of the following BEST describes how Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) works?
The correct answer is D. It sends a request packet to all the network elements, asking for the MAC address from a specific. ARP resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses by broadcasting a request packet to all devices on the local network segment.
Question
Which of the following BEST describes how Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) works?
Options
- AIt sends a reply packet for a specific IP, asking for the MAC address
- BIt sends a reply packet to all the network elements, asking for the MAC address from a specific IP
- CIt sends a request packet to all the network elements, asking for the domain name from a specific
- DIt sends a request packet to all the network elements, asking for the MAC address from a specific
How the community answered
(29 responses)- A3% (1)
- B7% (2)
- D90% (26)
Why each option
ARP resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses by broadcasting a request packet to all devices on the local network segment.
ARP initiates communication with a broadcast REQUEST, not a reply packet; a reply is only sent by the target device after receiving a request.
ARP sends a request packet, not a reply packet; using 'reply' as the initial message type is technically incorrect for how ARP initiates resolution.
ARP resolves MAC addresses from IP addresses, not domain names; domain name resolution is the function of DNS, a completely different protocol.
ARP operates by sending a broadcast REQUEST packet (destination MAC ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff) to all devices on the local network, asking which device owns a specific IP address. The device with the matching IP responds with a unicast ARP reply containing its MAC address, allowing the requester to populate its ARP cache.
Concept tested: ARP broadcast request and MAC address resolution
Source: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc826
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