MAC address

MAC is essentially just a unique string that works as a identifier of device provide for its network card during manufacturing proccess. MAC address consists of 48 bits. And most of the time it is expressed as six hexadecimal numbers seperated by “:”.

Example: 01:23:45:67:89:ab

MAC (medium access controll address) were introduced to provide a unique identifier for each network interface card (NIC) on a network. MAC address is provided for each NIC during the manufacturing process. Its uniqueness is essential for several reasons:

1. Device identification Each device on a network needs a way to distinguish itself from others. MAC addresses serve as a hardware-based identifier, ensuring that two devices on the same network cannot have the same address.

2. Addressing MAC addresses are used as the destination address in network packets.

   • this allows devices to send data directly to specific recipients without relying on higher-level addressing schemes like IP addresses. This is used by switches

MAC addresses can also be used in various protocols for error detection and correction, ensuring data intergrity.