If a host sends a packet to a device on a different IP network, what happens to the packet?

• A. It is Forwarded to the Default Gateway
• B. Directly to the Destination
• C. To a DNS Server
• D. It Is Dropped

Answer: (A)

When a host needs to reach a device on another IP network, it cannot deliver the packet directly. The host recognizes the destination is not in its own subnet and forwards the packet to its default gateway (the local router). The host uses ARP to learn the gateway’s MAC address, then sends the frame addressed to that gateway with the IP packet inside. The gateway then routes the packet toward the destination using its routing table, possibly through several networks, until it reaches the target or is dropped if no route exists. DNS servers are for translating names to IP addresses, not for delivering the packet itself. Direct delivery is only possible when the destination is on the same network.