These IDs are regulated by an Internet standards body (see sidebar).

The first half ( 24 BITS) of a MAC address contains the ID number of the adapter manufacturer.

MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS or MMMM-MMSS-SSSS format By convention, MAC addresses are usually written in one of the following formats:

Let’s try to understand the MAC address format with the help of the image given below.Īs shown in the above diagram, MAC addresses are 12-digit hexadecimal numbers (48 bits in length). All three numbering systems use the same format and differ only in the length of the identifier. This 48-bit address space contains potentially 281,474,976,710,656 possible MAC addresses. The original IEEE 802 MAC address comes from the original Xerox Ethernet addressing scheme. HOW MANY MAC ADDRESSES CAN THERE BE IN THE WORLD? The ARP takes data from an IP address through an actual piece of computer hardware. It is hardwired or hard-coded onto your computer’s network interface card (NIC) and is unique to it.ĪRP (Address Resolution Protocol) translates an IP address into a MAC address.

The MAC address is sometimes referred to as a networking hardware address, the burned-in address (BIA), or the physical addressĪ MAC address is given to a network adapter when it is manufactured. The MAC address is used by the Media Access Control sublayer of the Data-Link Layer (DLC) of telecommunication protocols.Įvery NIC (also called LAN card) has a hardware address that’s known as a MAC, for Media Access Control. Now that we know that MAC is the key element in the networking world, let’s understand what a MAC address is, MAC address format, bits/ length, and its ingredients – Both work hand in hand for the delivery of information across network elements. In computer networking, Media Access Control (MAC) address as important as an IP address.

Lan network mac address