Method for processing address resolution protocol message, forwarder and controller

Disclosed are a method for processing an address resolution protocol message, a forwarder and a controller. The method comprises: receiving, by a forwarder, flow rules corresponding to an ARP message and sent by a controller; and according to the received flow rules, constructing, by the forwarder, the ARP message, and sending the ARP message, wherein each of the flow rules comprises a matching rule corresponding to the ARP message and an action set corresponding to the ARP message. The present invention can achieve the interaction with an external device based on an ARP mechanism.