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MAC address Last modified: Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Short for Media Access Control address, a hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network. In IEEE 802 networks, the Data Link Control (DLC) layer of the OSI Reference Model is divided into two sublayers: the Logical Link Control (LLC) layer and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The MAC layer interfaces directly with the network medium. Consequently, each different type of network medium requires a different MAC layer. On networks that do not conform to the IEEE 802 standards but do conform to the OSI Reference Model, the node address is called the Data Link Control (DLC) address. See a breakdown of the seven OSI layers in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.
IEEE's Public OUI registrations Information on how a company applies for a MAC address as well as a database of existing MAC address for many companies.	Related Categories Network Interface Cards (NICs) Related Terms address ARP spoofing DLC HSRP MAC Layer network interface card node Shopping MAC address Products Compare Products,Prices and Stores Shop by Category: Routers 191 Model Matches Wireless Access Points 127 Model Matches Firewalls 37 Model Matches