What is gratuitous ARP?

Gratuitous ARP, also known as unsolicited ARP, is a networking technique used to update or announce an IP to MAC address mapping in the ARP cache of other network devices. It is called “gratuitous” because the ARP request is not prompted by the receipt of an ARP request, hence it is sent voluntarily.

Gratuitous ARP can serve multiple purposes in a network environment:

1. IP Address Conflict Detection: When a device joins a network, it sends out a gratuitous ARP to check if its assigned IP address is already in use. If a response is received, it indicates an IP address conflict.
2. MAC Address Update: It helps in updating ARP caches of other devices in the network when a device’s MAC address changes, ensuring smooth communication without disruptions.
3. Network Redundancy: Gratuitous ARP can be used in failover scenarios in redundant network setups to notify other devices about changes in network paths.

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