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What type of communications do ARP messages represent in a LAN?

  1. Routing protocol details

  2. Address resolution for IP addresses

  3. Secure connection events

  4. Network congestion notifications

The correct answer is: Address resolution for IP addresses

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) messages specifically serve the purpose of mapping Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to their corresponding Media Access Control (MAC) addresses within a local area network (LAN). When a device wants to communicate with another device on the same network but only has the IP address, it sends out an ARP request to discover the MAC address associated with that IP. Once the MAC address is determined, the device can construct the correct data frame to establish a local connection. The function of ARP is crucial in networking because it enables devices to locate each other and facilitates communication at the data link layer. Without ARP, a device would not be able to send data to another device using only their IP address, effectively creating a barrier in network communication. This functionality shows why the correct answer focuses on the address resolution aspect specific to IP addresses, which highlights ARP's primary role in LAN communications.