ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol used to map IP addresses to MAC addresses on a local network. When a device wants to communicate with another device and does not know its MAC address, ARP sends a request to the network. The device with the corresponding IP address responds with its MAC address, which the sender stores in the ARP table. Switches use ARP tables to forward data efficiently and often implement security features such as Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) to prevent ARP spoofing. Thus, ARP ensures that devices on the network can communicate efficiently, and switches can increase the security and efficiency of network traffic.
