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Sep 4, 2015 · See ARP and RARP on how IP addresses are translated into MAC addresses and vice versa. In order for a network device to be able to communicate, the MAC address it is using must be unique. No other device on that local network subnet can use that MAC address.
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SuperUser reader JellicleCat wants to know how the uniqueness of MAC addresses is enforced:
Again and again I have read that devices are uniquely identified by their MAC addresses, but how are MAC addresses determined? And do they tell us anything about the devices they represent?
SuperUser contributor DavidPostill has the answer for us:
How are MAC Addresses Determined?
Vendors are given a range of MAC Addresses that can be assigned to their products by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). MAC Address are assigned to Vendors in various sized blocks as appropriate.
•The IEEE offers Registration Authority programs or registries which maintain lists of unique identifiers under standards and issue unique identifiers to those wishing to register them. The IEEE Registration Authority assigns unambiguous names to objects in a way which makes the assignment available to interested parties.
You can go to Vendor/Ethernet/Bluetooth MAC Address Lookup and Search to find the vendor given a particular MAC Address or find a MAC Address Range given to a vendor.
Devices are Uniquely Identified by Their MAC Addresses
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Oct 13, 2017 · MAC addresses are not unique. There can be, and will be duplicates with MACs. There are several reasons for that, one being that they need not be (globally) unique. The MAC must be unique on the local network, so ARP/NDP can do its job, and the switch knows where to send incoming datagrams to.
Feb 10, 2023 · A MAC address (although it can be spoofed) is the only way to uniquely address a device or network interface. An IP address (I assume you're talking about IPv4) is not unique, can be randomly assigned to other interfaces and needs to be aligned to the network the device is connected to.
This ensures global uniqueness among MAC addresses, preventing conflicts within a network. For example, in the MAC address “00:04:23:10:5D:3F,” the “00:04:23” portion might identify the manufacturer, while the “10:5D:3F” portion uniquely identifies the device.
Switches do not look inside the frame to inspect the IP address. This allows layer-2 and switches to carry any layer-3 protocol (IPv4, IPX, IPv6, etc.). IP addresses are layer-3 addresses, and they are only looked at by layer-3 devices, e.g. routers.
Dec 22, 2023 · Learn how network switches use MAC addresses to efficiently forward data packets and manage network traffic. Understand the importance of MAC addresses in optimizing network performance.
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