A MAC address is known as the Ethernet hardware address, comprising 6 bytes. A unique MAC address is assigned to a Network Interface Card (NIC) to communicate with other devices in a network. IEEE manages MAC addresses, and hardware manufacturers must register to allocate the MAC Prefix for vendor identification. By examining the first few bytes of the MAC address, you can determine the manufacturer of the NIC hardware.
Each byte of the MAC address is typically separated by a colon (:) or a dash (-).
MAC Vendor Examples
The first 3 or more bytes of the MAC address are assigned to a manufacturer. Here are a few examples of MAC prefixes assigned to vendors:
| MAC Prefix | Vendor |
|---|---|
| 00:00:00 | Xerox |
| 00:06:5B | Dell |
| 00:03:93 | Apple |
What is a MAC Address and how is it assigned?
MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment.
A MAC address consists of six pairs of hexadecimal digits separated by colons, such as "00:06:5B:11:22:33". This format is standardized by the IEEE.
MAC addresses are globally unique and allow network administrators to determine the manufacturer of a device based on its MAC address.
The IEEE assigns MAC addresses to vendors, which then include the MAC address in the firmware of each NIC they produce.
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