|  | 6.3 | MAC Addressing
| 6.3.2 | MAC address and NICs
Every computer has a unique way of identifying itself. Each computer, whether it is attached to a network or not, has a physical address. No two physical addresses are ever alike. Referred to as the Media Access Control address (or MAC address), the physical address is located on the Network Interface Card (NIC). - Before it leaves the factory, the hardware manufacturer assigns a physical address to each NIC. This address is programmed into a chip on the NIC. Since the MAC address is located on the NIC, if the NIC were replaced in a computer, the physical address of the station would change to that of the new MAC address. MAC addresses are written using hexadecimal (Base 16) numbers. There are two formats for MAC addresses: 0000.0c12.3456 or 00-00-0c-12-34-56.
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