mac address

Just for reference purposes how does mac address work when there is a router. does the router also have a mac address or is it assigned a mac address from one of the computers on the network. perhaps the mac address from the first computer that was connected that gave it the ip.

also can you see each individuals mac address for each computer on the other side of the router or does it appear the same. sort of like on the outside of the router its all comming from the same ip even though multiple ips are givin out on the inside part of the network

am i making any sense?

 

All network "client" devices have a unique mac ID, in your typical wireless router for example there are 2 macs, one for the WAN port that connects to the cable or dsl modem and one for the wireless network. The switch ports don't have MAC id's per se. Ussually most consumer routers have an option to clone the MAC of a PC attached since some providers don't like you using a new MAC address when you go from one PC to a group behind a router so you can just make the router say it has the same MAC as the desktop but it still has its unique ID stored inside. Generally speaking traffic on the "outside" of the router can't see the MAC addresses of any equipment behind it.

 

Your router will see all the individual machines MAC addresses, but it will send out its own as it is combining them together.

The simple way to look at it is that each type of connection will have its own MAC.

So in the case of my laptop it has wireless & wired network adapters so each one has its own MAC address. That address is from the actual connection hardware.

In the case of my desktop it has 2 wired ports each one a different network so they both have there own MAC as well.

Your router is just another piece of network hardware thus it has a MAC too.

 

each hop on a network the MAC changes. so from your PC to your router the source mac is your PC. from the router to the ISP its going to have a source of the router. and so on.

you are getting confused as hardware address's change at each hop.

 

wow thanks Big Mike, ViciousXUSMC, and focusfre4k. i think i got it now. someone in another forum had brought up masking your mac address and actually temporarely change it (in OSX) . so i was a little curious about how they work.

 

hehe, you can cloak the mac, cant change it but I know what you meant.

if your really interested in this kind of stuff I suggest you pick up the ICND1 book from cisco press. its like 20 bucks and has lots of great info in it. without going over board.