In computer networking, it is essential to be able to uniquely identify every pi

Question

In computer networking, it is essential to be able to uniquely identify every piece of equipment attached to a network. Therefore, each piece of equipment is assigned a Media Access Control (MAC) address. A MAC address is typically displayed as six pairs of hexadecimal numbers separated by colons (e.g., 88:17:E8:90:E2:0A). The first three pairs of hexadecimal numbers in a MAC address (e.g., 88:17:E8) identify the manufacturer of the hardware network adapter, whereas the last three pairs of hexadecimal numbers (e.g., 90:E2:0A) denote the serial number of the hardware network adapter.

For the purposes of this problem, you can assume the following:

·         The user always provides a valid MAC address (i.e., six pairs of hexadecimal numbers separated by colons).

·         The first pair and the last pair of hexadecimal numbers always start with a letter (i.e., A, B, C, D, E or F).

Explanation / Answer

MAC:

Whether you work in a wired network office or a wireless one, one thing is common for both environments: It takes both network software and hardware (cables, routers, etc.) to transfer data from your computer to another—or from a computer thousands of miles away to yours.

And in the end, to get the data you want right to YOU, it comes down to addresses.

So not surprisingly, along with an IP address (which is networks software), there's also a hardware address. Typically it is tied to a key connection device in your computer called the network interface card, or NIC. The NIC is essentially a computer circuit card that makes it possible for your computer to connect to a network.

An NIC turns data into an electrical signal that can be transmitted over the network.

Hey Nick. Meet Mac:

Every NIC has a hardware address that's known as a MAC, for Media Access Control. Where IP addresses are associated with TCP/IP (networking software), MAC addresses are linked to the hardware of network adapters.

A MAC address is given to a network adapter when it is manufactured. It is hardwired or hard-coded onto your computer's network interface card (NIC) and is unique to it. Something called the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) translates an IP address into a MAC address. The ARP is like a passport that takes data from an IP address through an actual piece of computer hardware.

Once again, that's hardware and software working together, IP addresses and MAC addresses working together.

For this reason, the MAC address is sometimes referred to as a networking hardware address, the burned-in address (BIA), or the physical address. Here's an example of a MAC address for an Ethernet NIC: 00:0a:95:9d:68:16.

As you've probably noticed, the MAC address itself doesn't look anything like an IP address (see yours here). The MAC address is a string of usually six sets of two-digits or characters, separated by colons.

Some well-known manufacturers of network adapters or NICs are Dell, Belkin, Nortel and Cisco. These manufacturers all place a special number sequence (called the Organizationally Unique Identifier or OUI) in the MAC address that identifies them as the manufacturer. The OUI is typically right at the front of the address.

For example, consider a network adapter with the MAC address "00-14-22-01-23-45." The OUI for the manufacture of this router is the first three octets—"00-14-22." Here are the OUI for other some well-known manufacturers.

Dell: 00-14-22
Nortel: 00-04-DC
Cisco: 00-40-96
Belkin: 00-30-BD

Networks and MAC addresses:

       MAC addresses are useful for network diagnosis because they never change, as opposed to a dynamic IP address, which can change from time to time. For a network administrator, that makes a MAC address a more reliable way to identify senders and receivers of data on the network.

Wireless Routers and MAC Filtering:

      On wireless networks, a process called MAC filtering is a security measure to prevent unwanted network access by hackers and intruders. In MAC address filtering, the router is configured to accept traffic only from specific MAC addresses. This way, computers whose MAC addresses are approved will be able to communicate through the network—even if they were given a new IP address by DHCP.

How to Find a MAC Address:

To display your MAC address on a Windows NT/2000/2003/XP/Visa computer:

In the "ipconfig /all" results look for the adapter you want to find the MAC address of. The MAC address is the number located next to "Physical Address" in the list.

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