Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
7.1. ARP Servers and Broadcasts
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7.1. ARP Servers and Broadcasts
7.1. ARP Servers and Broadcasts
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) described in [11] can, if
incorrectly implemented, cause problems when broadcasts are used
on a network where not all hosts share an understanding of what a
broadcast address is. The temptation exists to modify the ARP
server so that it provides the mapping between an IP broadcast
address and the hardware broadcast address.
This temptation must be resisted. An ARP server should never
respond to a request whose target is a broadcast address. Such a
request can only come from a host that does not recognize the
broadcast address as such, and so honoring it would almost
certainly lead to a forwarding loop. If there are N such hosts on
the physical network that do not recognize this address as a
broadcast, then a datagram sent with a Time-To-Live of T could
potentially give rise to T**N spurious re-broadcasts.
Next: 8. References
Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
7.1. ARP Servers and Broadcasts