RARP, Reverse Address Resolution Protocol

RARP is a network layer protocol used to obtain an IP address for a specific device. It has basically become obsolete due to more modern protocols such as Bootstrap Protocol and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - both of which offer a much greater set of features than RARP. Reverse Address Resolution Protocol has major limitations, the most significant being that each MAC (Media Access Control) address is required to be manually configured on a central server. The second limitation is that this protocol will only convey an IP address. RARP also has disadvantages when compared to Bootstrap Protocol and DHCP because it is a non-IP protocol. This means that it is implemented individually and not supported by TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) stacks on the client. Before it was deemed as obsolete, RARP was most widely used in Token Ring, Fiber Distributed-Data Interface and Ethernet LANs (local area networks).