NICs of PC-B and PC-C have the same MAC address 00000ABB28FC. Suppose in a network three PCs PC-A (11000ABB28FC), PC-B (00000ABB28FC) and PC-C (00000ABB28FC) are connected through a switch. If a LAN network has two or more NICs configured with the same MAC address then that network will not work. When you purchase a new NIC or a device with onboard NICs, it arrives with a pre-configured MAC address or MAC addresses, respectively.īefore we understand how manufacturers select MAC addresses for NICs, let’s briefly understand why a MAC should be unique in the LAN network. Structure or format of the MAC addressĪs mentioned above, you can’t assign MAC address to a NIC or onboard NICs. NIC converts hexadecimal numbers of the MAC address in binary numbers before processing and using it.
No matter which style you use to write the MAC address, or an application or networking software uses to display the MAC address,Ī MAC address is always processed in binary numbers only.
Almost all modern LAN implementations use the IP protocol in the network layer. Based on network requirements and layout, this address can be configured and assigned to an end device. This address is manageable and configurable.
The software address is also known as the network layer address or layer 3 address. Because of this, both layers are also known as layer 3 and layer 2, respectively. In both models, the network layer and data link layer stand on the third and second positions, respectively.
In both models, the software address and hardware address are defined in the network layer and data link layer, respectively. There are two popular networking models the OSI Seven Layers model and the TCP/IP model. Addressing in Networking Reference modelsĪ networking reference model defines the standards, characteristics, definitions, and functionalities of the network. In the LAN network, a unique address is the combination of two addresses software address and hardware address. A unique address enables an end device to send and receive data in the network. Unless an end device has a unique address, it can’t communicate with other devices in the network. In network, an address provides a unique identity to an end device.