The address resolution protocol (ARP) is part of the TCP/IP suite used to dynamically associate a device‘s physical address (MAC address) with its logical address (IP address).
The switch broadcasts an ARP request that contains the IP address, and the device with that IP address sends back its MAC address so that traffic can be transmitted across the network. The switch maintains an ARP table (also known as an ARP cache) that displays each MAC address and its corresponding IP address.
By default, the switch builds its ARP table by tracking ARP requests and replies, which is known as ARP learning. You can disable ARP learning so that the only entries in the ARP table are either manually added or those created by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) secured ARP; the switch does not add entries by tracking ARP requests and replies. By disabling ARP learning and adding a permanent entry or configuring DHCP secured ARP, you can centrally manage and allocate client IP addresses and prevent duplicate IP addresses from interrupting network operation.
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