What is a MAC Address?

How do I find a MAC address of network device?

MAC, Media Access Control, address is a globally unique identifier assigned to network devices, and therefore it is often referred to as hardware or physical address. MAC addresses are 6byte (48bits) in length, and are written in MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS format. The first 3bytes are ID number of the manufacturer, which is assigned by an Internet standards body. The second 3bytes are serial number assigned by the manufacturer.
MAC layer represents layer 2 of the TCP/IP (adopted from OSI Reference Model), where IP represents layer 3. MAC address can be thought of as supporting hardware implementation whereas IP address supports software . MAC addresses are permanently burned into hardware by hardware manufacturer, but IP addresses are assigned to the network devices by a network administrator. DHCP relies on MAC address to assign IP addresses to network devices.

How do I find a MAC address of network device?

Operating Systems support various commandline and GUI utilities to allow users to find MAC address of the system. On Unix variants including Solaris and Linux support "ifconfig a", "ip link list" or "ip address show" command that displays MAC address of the network device among other useful information. Windows including NT, 2000, XP and 2003 support "ipconfig /all" command that displays MAC address. On a MacOS, one can find MAC address by opening "System Preferences", then selecting "Network".

Full forms: Computer related terms

* HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
* HTTPS - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure.
* IP - Internet Protocol.
* URL - Uniform Resource Locator.
* USB - Universal Serial Bus.
* VIRUS - Vital Information Resource Under Seized.
* 3G - 3rd Generation.
* GSM - Global System for Mobile Communication.
* CDMA - Code Divison Multiple Access.
* UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunication System.
* SIM - Subscriber Identity Module.
* AVI = Audio Video Interleave
* RTS = Real Time Streaming
* SIS = Symbian OS Installer File
* AMR = Adaptive Multi-Rate Codec
* JAD = Java Application Descriptor
* JAR = Java Archive
* JAD = Java Application Descriptor
* 3GPP = 3rd Generation Partnership Project
* 3GP = 3rd Generation Project
* MP3 = MPEG player lll
* MP4 = MPEG-4 video file
* AAC = Advanced Audio Coding
* GIF = Graphic Interchangeable Format
* JPEG = Joint Photographic Expert Group
* BMP = Bitmap
* SWF = Shock Wave Flash
* WMV = Windows Media Video
* WMA = Windows Media Audio
* WAV = Waveform Audio
* PNG = Portable Network Graphics
* DOC = Document (Microsoft Corporation)
* PDF = Portable Document Format
* M3G = Mobile 3D Graphics
* M4A = MPEG-4 Audio File
* NTH = Nokia Theme (series 40)
* THM = Themes (Sony Ericsson)
* MMF = Synthetic Music Mobile Application File
* NRT = Nokia Ringtone
* XMF = Extensible Music File
* WBMP = Wireless Bitmap Image
* DVX = DivX Video
* HTML = Hyper Text Markup Language
* WML = Wireless Markup Language
* CD - Compact Disk.
* DVD - Digital Versatile Disk.
* CRT - Cathode Ray Tube.
* DAT - Digital Audio Tape.
* DOS - Disk Operating System.
* GUI - Graphical User Interface.
* HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
* IP - Internet Protocol.
* ISP - Internet Service Provider.
* TCP - Transmission Control Protocol.
* UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply.
* HSDPA - High Speed Downlink Packet Access.
* EDGE - Enhanced Data Rate for GSM [Global System for Mobile          
* VHF - Very High Frequency.
* UHF - Ultra High Frequency.
* GPRS - General Packet Radio Service.
* WAP - Wireless Application Protocol.
* TCP - Transmission Control Protocol .
* ARPANET - Advanced Research Project Agency Network.
* IBM - International Business Machines.
* HP - Hewlett Packard.
* AM/FM - Amplitude/ Frequency Modulation.
* WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network