What is Default gateway?

The router to which a host hands packets for destinations on other networks. The host uses its subnet mask to decide whether a destination is on the same network, and sends to this router if not.

Japanese name: デフォルトゲートウェイ

Default gateway appears in 2 practice questions across 1 topic, including Computer Networking Basics.

Field: Computer Networking Basics

Try it: questions about Default gateway

A host (192.168.1.10/24, default gateway 192.168.1.1) sends a packet to server 203.0.113.80 on a different network. With an empty ARP cache, whose MAC address does the host look up with ARP?

  1. AThe default gateway, 192.168.1.1
  2. BThe server, 203.0.113.80
  3. CEvery router on the path to the server
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. The default gateway, 192.168.1.1

The host first uses its own IP address and subnet mask to decide whether the destination is on the same network. 203.0.113.80 is outside 192.168.1.0/24, so the packet is handed to the default gateway (a router). The destination in the IP header stays the server's 203.0.113.80; only the frame's destination MAC address is set to the gateway's. So ARP looks up the MAC address of 192.168.1.1. ARP broadcasts do not cross routers, so the host cannot look up, and does not need, the MAC address of a server on another network. Each router along the path looks up the MAC address of the next device whenever it forwards.

Default gateway in the explanations

Questions that mention Default gateway (2)

  1. A host (192.168.1.10/24, default gateway 192.168.1.1) sends a packet to server 203.0.113.80 on a different network. With an empty ARP cache, whose MAC address does the host look up with ARP?
  2. When a device obtains an IP address with DHCP, what is the correct order of messages?

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Related terms

Subnet mask ARP MAC address DHCP DNS (Domain Name System) CIDR CSMA/CA NAT (Network Address Translation) OSI reference model Port number

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