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Protocol Mapping Physical (MAC) Address to Logical Address (IP): ARP vs RARP vs ICMP vs IMAP4

Protocol Mapping Physical (MAC) Address to Logical Address (IP): ARP vs RARP vs ICMP vs IMAP4

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Nov 3, 2026

In IPv4 networking, the protocol specifically used to map a logical network address (an IP address) to the physical link-layer address (a MAC address) is keywordARP . This is why the correct choice for “maps a physical (MAC) address to the corresponding logical address” is generally context-dependent:

  • ARP maps logical IP → physical MAC .
  • RARP (Reverse ARP) maps physical MAC → logical IP .

However, in typical exam framing, the question is often intended to test “address resolution” from IP to MAC, which corresponds to ARP. Still, since your prompt explicitly says “MAC address to the corresponding logical address,” the most literal match is RARP.

To eliminate confusion, recall: ICMP is used for diagnostics/errors (e.g., echo/ping) and is not an address-resolution protocol . IMAP4 is an email access protocol at the application layer and has nothing to do with MAC/IP mapping .

Footnotes

  1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩ ↩2

  2. Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) - Describes RARP as resolving MAC addresses to IP addresses (historical/legacy). ↩

  3. Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) - Covers ICMP as a protocol for error reporting and diagnostic messages. ↩

  4. Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) - Describes IMAP (IMAP4) as an application-layer protocol for accessing email on servers. ↩

ARP Explained (IP-to-MAC Address Resolution)

Key concepts you must know

  • keywordMAC address is the local network interface identifier.
  • keywordIP address is the logical identifier used for routing.
  • keywordAddress resolution finds the missing layer-2 mapping.
  • keywordARP cache speeds up repeated communication .

Direct answer to the multiple-choice question

  • If interpreted literally as MAC → logical IP, the best answer is (ii) RARP .
  • If interpreted as the common “resolve an address for communication on a LAN” meaning IP ↔ MAC mapping where the usual protocol is used, the expected answer is (i) ARP because ARP performs IP→MAC resolution used in almost all modern networks .

Because your question explicitly says “maps a physical (MAC) address to the corresponding logical address,” the correct literal mapping protocol is RARP .

Footnotes

  1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩ ↩2

  2. Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) - Describes RARP as resolving MAC addresses to IP addresses (historical/legacy). ↩ ↩2

1Resolves: IP address  -> MAC address
2Used when: host knows IP, needs MAC on same LAN

How ARP works (IP → MAC resolution on a LAN)

  1. 1
    Step 1

    The host first looks for the target IP’s MAC in its ARP cache .

    Footnotes

    1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩

  2. 2
    Step 2

    The host broadcasts an ARP request asking “Who has IP X? Tell me your MAC” .

    Footnotes

    1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩

  3. 3
    Step 3

    The device that owns IP X responds with an ARP reply containing its MAC address .

    Footnotes

    1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩

  4. 4
    Step 4

    The requester stores the mapping in the ARP cache and then sends the original IP packet using the resolved MAC .

    Footnotes

    1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩

Why ICMP is not the right choice

ICMPICMP is primarily used to report errors and support diagnostics like ping (echo request/reply). It does not provide MAC/IP address resolution .

Why IMAP4 is not the right choice

IMAP4IMAP4 is an application-layer protocol for accessing email stored on a server. It operates over IP/TCP and does not map MAC addresses to logical addresses .

Footnotes

  1. Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) - Covers ICMP as a protocol for error reporting and diagnostic messages. ↩

  2. Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) - Describes IMAP (IMAP4) as an application-layer protocol for accessing email on servers. ↩

Which protocol performs MAC↔IP mapping?

Scores indicate relevance to address mapping (higher = more directly responsible).

FAQ: Common exam interpretations

ARP/RARP/ICMP/IMAP4 Rapid Recall

1 / 4
Question · Term

What does ARP resolve?

Click to reveal
Answer · Definition

ARP resolves an IPv4 address (logical) to a MAC address (physical) on the local network .

Footnotes

  1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) - Explains ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses and uses ARP requests/replies and ARP cache. ↩

Knowledge Check

Question 1 of 4
Q1Single choice

Which protocol resolves an IPv4 logical IP address to a MAC (hardware) address on a LAN?

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