What protocol is used to match an IP address to the appropriate hardware address of the packet's destination so it can be sent?

Question

Options

• ARouting tables
• BAddress resolution protocol (ARP)
• CReverse address resolution protocol (RARP)
• DInternet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)

• A
  6% (1)
• B
  88% (15)
• C
  6% (1)

Explanation

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is specifically designed to resolve an IP address (Layer 3) to a MAC/hardware address (Layer 2), enabling a packet to be delivered across a local network segment. Without ARP, a device knows where to send data logically but not how to address the physical frame on the wire.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A. Routing tables - these determine which path to send traffic, not how to map an IP to a hardware address.
• C. RARP - does the opposite: it maps a hardware address to an IP address (used by diskless workstations; largely obsolete).
• D. ICMP - handles error reporting and diagnostics (e.g., ping), not address resolution.

Memory tip: Think of ARP as the "address book lookup" - you know someone's name (IP), and ARP finds their phone number (MAC address) so you can actually call them.

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