
- #How many digits are in a network mac address device mac#
- #How many digits are in a network mac address device windows#
The Network layer reassembles the chunks into packets at the receiving end. The Network layer also may split large packets into smaller chunks if the packet is larger than the largest data frame the Data-Link layer will accept. The Network layer also determines the quality of service (such as the priority of the message) and the route a message will take if there are several ways a message can get to its destination. To do its job, the Network layer translates logical network addresses into physical machine addresses (MAC addresses, which operate at the Data-Link layer). The network layer makes it possible for the Transport layer (and layers above it) to send packets without being concerned with whether the end system is on the same piece of network cable or on the other end of a large wide area network. There may be intermediate devices and subnetworks between any two end systems.
#How many digits are in a network mac address device mac#
This, in turn, has confused many an intrusion analyst or administrator on a network when they see large amounts of traffic coming from seemingly one MAC source. Since all traffic coming into the network goes through the router, it assigns its own MAC address to all conversations coming into the network. Chances are that this is the router or gateway boundary of the network. Therefore, when troubleshooting a problem related to a MAC address with a tool called a sniffer, you might see one MAC address showing up more than others. MAC addresses don't cross network boundaries.
#How many digits are in a network mac address device windows#
On Windows this is accomplished with the ipconfig /all command, as you'll see later. Resolving a MAC conflict sometimes comes down to looking at the MAC address for each device currently reporting problems. Many times the normal troubleshooting techniques won't work since things like pings respond normally. When two devices with the same MAC address are connected to the same network segment, a conflict will occur that can be quite difficult to diagnose. On many network cards there is no way to change this address as it is set at the factory, though some cards do enable the administrator to change the MAC address.

For example, the first six numbers on a network card produced by Intel are 00AA00, while on Cisco devices they are 00000C. Of that 12 digits, 6 are specific to the vendor that produced the card. The MAC consists of 48 bits represented as a 12-digit hexadecimal number.

Since the MAC address is specific to the hardware, it's sometimes referred to as the burned-in address. Historically, one of the more difficult problems to diagnose and fix has been a conflict of MAC addresses between two (or more) devices on a network.
