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Broadcast

A communication method where data is sent from one source to all devices on a local network segment.

Categorynetwork

Overview

Broadcast is a one-to-all transmission. In IPv4, a broadcast packet is sent to the address 255.255.255.255 (limited broadcast) or the last address in a subnet.

Use Cases

  • ARP: Finding a MAC address for an IP.
  • DHCP: Discovering a DHCP server on a new network.

Limitations

  • Efficiency: Every device on the network must process the packet, even if it's not interested.
  • IPv6: Broadcast has been replaced by specialized Multicast in IPv6 to improve efficiency.

Related Terms

UnicastMulticastAnycast