What is MAC address?

The 48-bit address used in Ethernet and wireless LAN to identify devices within the same network. The upper 24 bits identify the manufacturer, and it is assigned to each interface at manufacture.

Japanese name: MACアドレス

MAC address appears in 4 practice questions across 1 topic, including Computer Networking Basics.

Field: Computer Networking Basics

Try it: questions about MAC address

A host (192.168.1.10/24, default gateway 192.168.1.1) sends a packet to server 203.0.113.80 on a different network. With an empty ARP cache, whose MAC address does the host look up with ARP?

  1. AThe default gateway, 192.168.1.1
  2. BThe server, 203.0.113.80
  3. CEvery router on the path to the server
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. The default gateway, 192.168.1.1

The host first uses its own IP address and subnet mask to decide whether the destination is on the same network. 203.0.113.80 is outside 192.168.1.0/24, so the packet is handed to the default gateway (a router). The destination in the IP header stays the server's 203.0.113.80; only the frame's destination MAC address is set to the gateway's. So ARP looks up the MAC address of 192.168.1.1. ARP broadcasts do not cross routers, so the host cannot look up, and does not need, the MAC address of a server on another network. Each router along the path looks up the MAC address of the next device whenever it forwards.

MAC address in the explanations

Questions that mention MAC address (4)

  1. A host (192.168.1.10/24, default gateway 192.168.1.1) sends a packet to server 203.0.113.80 on a different network. With an empty ARP cache, whose MAC address does the host look up with ARP?
  2. Which statement about MAC addresses is correct?
  3. Compared with a hub (repeater hub), which correctly describes how an L2 switch operates?
  4. Which correctly describes the role of ARP?

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Related terms

ARP DHCP Default gateway Subnet mask DNS (Domain Name System) CIDR CSMA/CA NAT (Network Address Translation) OSI reference model Port number

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