address resolution protocol

1 definition found

address resolution protocol - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  Address Resolution Protocol
  ARP
  
     <networking, protocol> (ARP) A method for finding a host's
     Ethernet address from its Internet address.  The sender
     broadcasts an ARP packet containing the Internet address
     of another host and waits for it (or some other host) to send
     back its Ethernet address.  Each host maintains a cache of
     address translations to reduce delay and loading.  ARP allows
     the Internet address to be independent of the Ethernet address
     but it only works if all hosts support it.
  
     ARP is defined in RFC 826.
  
     The alternative for hosts that do not do ARP is constant mapping
     .
  
     See also proxy ARP, reverse ARP.
  
     (1995-03-20)