MAC Address Formatter & Vendor Lookup

MAC Address Formats & Attributes

A MAC address is a 48-bit identifier, typically represented as 12 hexadecimal digits. Depending on the system or vendor, it can be written in several standard formats:

• Cisco (aaaa.bbbb.cccc): Uses three groups of four hexadecimal digits, separated by dots. Common on Cisco networking equipment.
• Linux/Standard (aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff): The IEEE 802 standard format, using six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by colons. Widely used on Linux, macOS, and Unix systems.
• Windows (aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff): Similar to the standard format but uses hyphens instead of colons. Commonly used in Microsoft Windows command-line tools.
• Bare (aabbccddeeff): A contiguous string of 12 hexadecimal digits without any separators. Often used in automated scripts or low-level configurations.

Attributes

MAC addresses can have specific properties based on how their first octet is configured:

• UAA (Universally Administered Address): The address is assigned by the device manufacturer. It is globally unique and the hardware vendor can usually be identified via an OUI lookup.
• LAA (Locally Administered Address): The address is assigned by a network administrator or software, overriding the hardware's burned-in address. Commonly used for MAC spoofing, virtual machines, or local network management.
• Multicast: The address is intended for multicast communication (sending packets to multiple destinations simultaneously), rather than identifying a single physical network interface.