From: cult hero (jerichodimensional.com)
Date: Wed May 12 1999 - 15:08:11 CDT

• Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ]

Forwarded From: "Robert G. Ferrell" <rootrgfsparc.cr.usgs.gov>

> We reported earlier on the brouhaha over the inclusion of hardware IDs in
> the Pentium III chip and privacy advocates' concerns about it. Turns out
> many of us already have hardware IDs on our systems since all Ethernet
> cards have a MAC (stands for 'Media Access Control', whatever that
> means!),

Just in case anyone other than the above author is confused about this,
the MAC is the lower sublayer of the datalink layer in the OSI model. It
acts as an interface between the node's logical link control and the
network's physical layer. The reason it's called a "Media Access" control
is that it participates in interfacing the node with whatever network
protocol and configuration (media) are present.

>a six byte ID number that networks need to be sure to properly
> direct network packets.

The first three bytes (octets) are called the OUI (Organizationally Unique
Identifier) and specify the manufacturer of the network interface adapter.
Octets 4 through 6 are a unique "serial number" for each adapter. I've
built a publicly-accessible search engine to identify the OUI for any
given MAC address at

rgfsparc.cr.usgs.gov:8090/sysadmin

if anyone is interested.

Robert G. Ferrell
National Business Center, US DoI
rferrellusgs.gov

-o-
Subscribe: mail majordomorepsec.com with "subscribe isn".
Today's ISN Sponsor: Hacker News Network [www.hackernews.com]

• Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ]