This parameter is automatically assigned and should not be changed unless necessary.
The Media Access Control (MAC) Address is the hardware address associated with a network adapter. The hardware address is used to transfer data on the physical media (such as Ethernet or Frame Relay) and is different for each media type.
When transferring data using a network protocol such as IP or IPX, the host computer uses a protocol address. For example, an IP address of 205.4.23.13 or an IPX address of 3002.4534FEB402C1. The network hardware uses only MAC addresses and does not recognize protocol addresses. The host computer maps (translates) the protocol address to a hardware address (MAC address) before giving a packet to the hardware for transmission. When a packet is received from the network adapter, the host computer maps the MAC address back to a protocol address.
The mapping of MAC addresses to protocol addresses can be handled automatically by the SyncLink adapter using the ARP and Inverse ARP protocols. When communicating with hardware from other vendors that do not support these protocols, the address mapping must be entered manually.