# arp ## Command Function Hosts on an Ethernet communicate with each other using MAC addresses. IP addresses must be converted into MAC addresses to enable communication between hosts on a LAN \(Ethernet\). To achieve this purpose, the host stores a table containing the mapping between IP addresses and MAC addresses. This table is called an Address Resolution Protocol \(ARP\) cache table. Before sending an IP packet to a LAN, the host looks up the destination MAC address in the ARP cache table. The ARP cache table is maintained by the TCP/IP stack. You can run the **arp** command to view and modify the ARP cache table. ## Syntax arp arp \[_-i IF_\] -s _IPADDR HWADDR_ arp \[_-i IF_\] -d _IPADDR_ ## Parameters **Table 1** Parameter description
Adds an ARP entry. The second parameter is the IP address and MAC address of the other host on the LAN. |
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Indicates whether the ARP entry is dynamic or static. A dynamic ARP entry is automatically created by the protocol stack, and a static ARP entry is added by the user. |