Which of the following is a valid MAC address

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Which of the following is a valid MAC address? 1)) 2)) 3)) 34-9A-86-1G-B3-24 4)) 73-99-12-61-15 5)) C0-34-FF-15-01-8E

The Correct Answer and Explanation is :

A valid MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are typically expressed in six pairs of hexadecimal digits, separated by either hyphens (-) or colons (:). Each hexadecimal digit can range from 0-9 and A-F, where A-F represent values 10-15.

From the options provided, we can analyze them as follows:

  1. 34-9A-86-1G-B3-24: This address contains the letter “G,” which is not a valid hexadecimal character. Therefore, this is not a valid MAC address.
  2. 73-99-12-61-15: This address consists entirely of valid hexadecimal characters (0-9 and A-F). Therefore, this is a valid MAC address.
  3. C0-34-FF-15-01-8E: This address has seven pairs of hexadecimal digits, exceeding the standard format of six pairs. Thus, this is not a valid MAC address.
  4. C0-34-FF-15-01-8E: This address also has seven pairs of hexadecimal digits, similar to option 3. It is therefore invalid.
  5. 73-99-12-61-15: This is the same as option 2 and is valid for the same reasons.

Based on the analysis, the only valid MAC address from the options provided is 73-99-12-61-15.

Explanation of MAC Addresses

A MAC address serves as a unique identifier for a device on a network. It ensures that data packets are sent to the correct device within a local network segment. The address is typically burned into the network interface controller (NIC) by the manufacturer, making it unique to each device.

MAC addresses are crucial for networking protocols, particularly at the data link layer of the OSI model, where they facilitate communication between devices on the same local area network (LAN). Understanding and identifying valid MAC addresses is essential for network configuration, troubleshooting, and security measures, such as access control lists (ACLs) that restrict network access based on device identifiers.

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