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Introduction to the Media Access Control (MAC) Layer 2 Sublayer
This topic provides an introduction to the MAC sublayer of the data link layer (Layer 2).
In Layer 2 of a network, the Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer provides addressing and channel access control mechanisms that enable several terminals or network nodes to communicate in a network.
The MAC sublayer acts as an interface between the logical link control (LLC) Ethernet sublayer and Layer 1 (the physical layer). The MAC sublayer emulates a full-duplex logical communication channel in a multipoint network. This channel may provide unicast, multicast, or broadcast communication service. The MAC sublayer uses MAC protocols to prevent collisions.
In Layer 2, multiple devices on the same physical link can uniquely identify one another at the data link layer, by using the MAC addresses that are assigned to all ports on a switch. A MAC algorithm accepts as input a secret key and an arbitrary-length message to be authenticated, and outputs a MAC address.
A MAC address is a 12-digit hexadecimal number (48 bits in long). MAC addresses are usually written in one of these formats:
- MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS
- MM-MM-MM-SS-SS-SS
The first half of a MAC address contains the ID number of the adapter manufacturer. These IDs are regulated by an Internet standards body. The second half of a MAC address represents the serial number assigned to the adapter by the manufacturer.
Contrast MAC addressing, which works at Layer 2, with IP addressing, which runs at Layer 3 (networking and routing). One way to remember the difference is that the MAC addresses apply to a physical or virtual node, whereas IP addresses apply to the software implementation of that node. MAC addresses are typically fixed on a per-node basis, whereas IP addresses change when the node moves from one part of the network to another.
IP networks maintain a mapping between the IP and MAC addresses of a node using the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table. DHCP also typically uses MAC addresses when assigning IP addresses to nodes.
