ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is primarily associated with IPv4. According to the provided reference, ARP is used to determine the MAC address for a given IPv4 address.
Understanding ARP and IPv4
- ARP Function: ARP's main purpose is to translate IP addresses to physical MAC addresses on a local network. This is essential for devices to communicate with each other within the same network segment.
- IPv4 Focus: The reference clearly indicates that ARP is used in the context of IPv4. It helps a router find the MAC address for the next hop in the route to an IPv4 destination.
- Process: When a device needs to send data to another device on the same local network, it first checks its ARP cache. If it doesn't have the MAC address for the destination IP, it sends an ARP request to all devices on the network. The device with the matching IP address then sends back its MAC address.
ARP and IPv6
While ARP is crucial for IPv4, it's not used for IPv6. Instead, IPv6 uses a different protocol called Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) for address resolution and other neighbor-related functions.
Key Differences: ARP vs NDP
| Feature | ARP (IPv4) | NDP (IPv6) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Resolves IPv4 to MAC addresses | Resolves IPv6 to MAC addresses |
| Protocol | ARP (Broadcast) | ICMPv6 (Multicast) |
| Functionality | Basic address resolution | Address resolution, router discovery, redirect, address autoconfiguration |
In summary, ARP is specific to IPv4 networks, and IPv6 uses NDP to accomplish similar goals.
