MACaddress(MediaAccessControladdress)isauniqueidentifierassignedtoanetworkinterfacecontroller(NIC)forcommunicationonanetwork.Itisa12-digithexadecimalnumber(sixpairsoftwo-digitnumbers)andistypicallyrep
MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for communication on a network. It is a 12-digit hexadecimal number (six pairs of two-digit numbers) and is typically represented as six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by colons or hyphens.
MAC addresses are used for identifying devices on a local network and are assigned by the manufacturer. They are typically hardcoded into the network interface hardware, making them globally unique. MAC addresses are most commonly seen in Ethernet networks but are also used in other networking technologies such as Wi-Fi.
The MAC address is used at the data link layer of the OSI model and is essential for devices to communicate on a local network. It helps in routing data packets to the correct destination on the network.
It is important to note that MAC addresses are different from IP addresses, which are used for identifying devices on the internet. While IP addresses can change or be assigned dynamically, MAC addresses are typically permanent and cannot be changed.