The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is very crucial for TCP/IP network communication. If you begin to notice network connectivity problems such as particular web pages not loading or not being able to ping certain IP addresses then clearing your ARP cache is a good place to start.
You can view your workstations ARP table by typing “arp –a” from a command prompt. Deleting the ARP cache is just as simple and can be done from a command prompt by typing “netsh interface ip delete arpcache”.
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Chris Sanders is the network administrator for one of the largest public school systems in the state of Kentucky. Chris is the author of the book Practical Packet Analysis as well as several technical articles. His personal website at www.chrissanders.org contains a great deal of information, articles, and guides related to network administration, network security, packet analysis, and general information technology.
