What command will show the mapping between IP addresses and MAC addresses?

The command that displays the mapping between IP addresses and MAC addresses is "arp -a." This command accesses the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache of a computer, which maintains a record of IP addresses and their corresponding MAC addresses. When the system needs to communicate with another device on the network, it checks this cache to find the MAC address that matches the target IP address, facilitating proper data packet delivery to the correct hardware device.

The arp command is particularly useful in local network environments to resolve IP addresses onto corresponding MAC addresses for devices within the same subnet. Using "arp -a" will list all the entries in the ARP cache, demonstrating the relationships between IP addresses in the network and the hardware addresses that correspond to them.

In contrast, ping is used to test connectivity to a specific device, tracert traces the route packets take to a network destination, and ipconfig displays network configuration information, including IP addresses and subnet masks, but does not show the IP-to-MAC address mapping. Each of these commands serves a different function and does not provide the ARP mapping that "arp -a" does.