Find my MAC Address

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What is a MAC Address?

A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique number assigned to a Network Interface Card (NIC), commonly called an ethernet card. This "address" is created by the manufacturer (not by Washington University). A MAC address is a 12-digit number. Each digit is a number from 0-9 or a letter from A-F. Sometimes the digits of a MAC address are separated by colons or dashes. Examples of possible MAC addresses include: 080007A92BFC, 09:00:07:A9:B2:EB, or 09-10-4A-B9-E2-A4.

Important:

Don't confuse the MAC address with Apple or Macintosh computers, which are commonly referred to as "Macs." The name "MAC address" does not refer to Apple/Macintosh computers, but only to the physical address of your computer, regardless of whether it is a PC or a Macintosh.

Your MAC address may also be confused with an Internet Protocol (IP) address or an e-mail address. An IP address uses only numbers and periods: 128.252.93.1 Your MAC address may also look like a modem address. However, Modem address descriptions will be titled "PPP" or "modem."

Obtaining your MAC address

Your MAC address will normally be on the box or registration card for your computer or individual ethernet card. If you can not find it, please follow the instructions below depending on your operating system.

WINDOWS NT, 2000, or XP:

  1. Using your mouse, click on the Start Button.
  2. Click on Programs.
  3. Click on Accessories, and then Command Prompt.
  4. Once a small black window appears, type in ipconfig /all (with a space between the g and the /).
  5. Locate the number to the right of Physical Address. This is your MAC address.

WINDOWS 95/98/ME:

  1. After clicking on the Start Button, click on Run.
  2. In the white space of the window, type in the word winipcfg
  3. Click on "OK".
  4. Look under the info for the Ethernet adapter. (Your system may also have a modem.)
  5. The number next to "Adapter Address" is your MAC address.

Macintosh OS (Pre OS X):

You will need DHCP to be working on your computer. DHCP allows your computer to have access to the artsci.wustl.edu server. In order for DHCP to work on an Apple computer, you must be running system 7.6.1 or higher and have Open Transport installed.

Once you have made sure your Apple computer is running system 7.6.1 or higher, and has Open Transport installed follow the instructions below to find the MAC address of your computer:

  1. Click the Apple Menu.
  2. Click on "Control Panels" to open your control panels folder.
  3. Open the "TCP/IP" control panel.
  4. Go to the Edit Menu.
  5. Click on User Mode.
  6. Change the mode to "Advanced" and click "OK".
  7. Click on the "Info" button.
  8. The Hardware address is your MAC address.

Macintosh (OS X):

If your computer is running OS X, it is best to have it upgraded to at least 10.1.

  1. From the dock, select "System Preferences".
  2. Select the "Network" Pane.
  3. With the Ethernet tab selected, the number next to "Ethernet ID:" is your MAC address.

Click here for more info about finding your MAC address from Apple

 

Solaris/SUnOS

On Solaris and SunOS systems, the ethernet device is typically called le0 or ie0. In order to find the MAC address of the ethernet device, you must first become root, through the use of su. Then, type ifconfig -a and look up the relevant info. For example:

# ifconfig -a le0: flags=863 &ltUP,BROADCAST,NOTRAILERS,RUNNING> inet 131.225.220.144 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 131.225.255.255 ether 8:0:20:f:c2:f8

Note: Solaris and SunOS strip off the leading 0 commonly included in the MAC address. In the case of this machine, the MAC address is 08:00:20:0f:c2:f8

Linux

On Linux systems, the ethernet device is typically called eth0. In order to find the MAC address of the ethernet device, you must first become root, through the use of su. Then, type ifconfig -a and look up the relevant info. For example:

# ifconfig -a eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:60:08:C4:99:AA inet addr:131.225.84.67 Bcast:131.225.87.255 Mask:255.255.248.0 UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1 RX packets:15647904 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 TX packets:69559 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 Interrupt:10 Base address:0x300

The MAC address is the HWaddr listed on the first line. In the case of this machine, it is 00:60:08:C4:99:AA.

FreeBSD

On a FreeBSD machine the command dmefg will display the MAC address.

HP

On HP systems, the ethernet device is typically called lan0. In order to find the MAC address of the ethernet device. Then, type lanscan and look up the relevant info. For example:

$ lanscan Hardware Station Dev Hardware Net-Interface NM Encapsulation Mjr Path Address lu State NameUnit State ID Methods Num 2.0.2 0x08000935C99D 0 UP lan0 UP 4 ETHER 52

Note: HP systems remove the :'s from the MAC address. In the case of this system, the MAC address is 08:00:09:35:C9:9D.