Address Resolution Protocol
Proper noun
Meaning
Address Resolution Protocol
(networking, Internet) The protocol used to translate IP addresses into MAC addresses to support communication on a LAN.
Examples
The Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (Reverse ARP or RARP), like InARP, translates Layer 2 addresses to Layer 3 addresses.
The ARP Input process is in charge of sending Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) requests.
History In 1984, the Reverse Address Resolution Protocol ( RARP ), defined in RFC 903, was introduced to allow simple devices such as diskless workstations to dynamically obtain a suitable IP address.
Operating scope The Address Resolution Protocol is a request and reply protocol that runs encapsulated by the line protocol.
Packet structure The Address Resolution Protocol uses a simple message format containing one address resolution request or response.
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) performs this IP-address-to-hardware-address translation for IPv4.