MAC

MAC (Media Access Control) is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment.

MAC addresses are used in various network technologies, including Ethernet and Wi-Fi, to ensure that data packets are delivered to the correct device on a local network.

MAC addresses play a crucial role in network security and management, as they can be used to control access to a network and monitor network traffic.

MAC addresses operate at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI Model, which is responsible for node-to-node data transfer and error detection.

A MAC address is typically represented as a series of six pairs of hexadecimal digits, separated by colons or hyphens (e.g., 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E).

Each network interface card (NIC) is assigned a unique MAC address by the manufacturer, which helps in identifying devices on a network.