Which Destination MAC Address Does Host Z Use to Transmit Packets?

C

When host Z needs to send data through router R1 to a storage server, it will use the MAC address of the next-hop router, which in this case is R1.

The process of transmitting packets involves two types of addressing: IP addresses and MAC addresses. IP addresses are logical addresses that are used for routing and identifying hosts and network devices on a network. MAC addresses, on the other hand, are physical addresses that are used to identify individual devices on a network.

When host Z sends data through router R1 to the storage server, the following happens:

1. Host Z checks its routing table to determine the next-hop router for the storage server. Let's assume that R1 is the next-hop router.

2. Host Z encapsulates the data into a packet with the destination IP address of the storage server and the source IP address of Host Z.

3. Host Z checks its ARP cache to see if it has the MAC address of R1. If it does not, it sends an ARP broadcast requesting the MAC address of R1.

4. R1 receives the ARP request and responds with its MAC address.

5. Host Z encapsulates the packet with the destination MAC address of R1 and the source MAC address of Host Z.

6. Host Z transmits the packet to the next-hop router R1.

7. R1 receives the packet and checks its routing table to determine the next-hop router or the destination network.

8. R1 removes the encapsulation header with Host Z's MAC address and forwards the packet to the storage server with the destination MAC address of the storage server and its own source MAC address.

9. The storage server receives the packet and processes it.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is B. The MAC address of the interface on R1 that connects to the storage server is used by host Z to transmit packets.