Which type of address allows communication with the nearest routing device?

The correct choice is the anycast address, as it is specifically designed for routing traffic to the nearest or most optimal device within a group that shares the same address. When a data packet is sent to an anycast address, it allows multiple devices to share the same address, and the network infrastructure utilizes routing protocols to direct the data to the closest device that is configured to respond to that address. This is particularly useful for reducing latency and improving response times, as it ensures that communication is directed towards the most appropriately located server or node.

In contrast, other types of addresses serve different purposes:

• A unicast address facilitates one-to-one communication, where a message is sent from a single sender to a single receiver.

• A multicast address allows for one-to-many communication, where a message is sent to multiple designated receivers at once, but not necessarily the nearest devices.

• A broadcast address is used to send a message to all devices on a local network segment, and it does not prioritize any specific device based on proximity or route efficiency.

Thus, the anycast address is explicitly geared towards optimizing communication paths based on the nearest routing device.