A MAC address is a hardware address assigned to which component, and how many bits does it contain?

A MAC address is a hardware address assigned to which component, and how many bits does it contain?

• A. A hardware address assigned to a NIC; 48 bits
• B. A protocol identifier embedded in packets; 32 bits
• C. A unique identifier for a router interface; 64 bits
• D. An IP address associated with a host; 128 bits

Answer: (A)

A MAC address is a hardware identifier assigned to a network interface card (NIC). It is 48 bits long, giving about 2^48 possible addresses, which helps uniquely identify each NIC on a local network. The address is typically written as six hexadecimal octets (for example, 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E). The first 24 bits usually represent the manufacturer's identifier (the OUI), and the remaining 24 bits identify the specific interface. While there are newer concepts like 64-bit EUI-64 formats in some contexts, the standard MAC address most commonly used is 48 bits.

A MAC address is a hardware identifier assigned to a network interface card (NIC). It is 48 bits long, giving about 2^48 possible addresses, which helps uniquely identify each NIC on a local network. The address is typically written as six hexadecimal octets (for example, 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E). The first 24 bits usually represent the manufacturer's identifier (the OUI), and the remaining 24 bits identify the specific interface. While there are newer concepts like 64-bit EUI-64 formats in some contexts, the standard MAC address most commonly used is 48 bits.