Differences between IP addresses and MAC addresses

An IP address is the IP address used by the Internet protocol, while a MAC address is the IP address used by the Ethernet protocol. There is no inevitable relationship between the IP address and the MAC address. the MAC address is the address on the ethernet card and the length is 48 bits.
Each Ethernet NIC manufacturer must apply for a set of MAC addresses from the IEEE organization and write a unique MAC address to the serial EEPROM of the NIC during Nic production. The MAC addresses of any two Ethernet NICs should not be the same from any manufacturer. Ethernet chip manufacturers do not have to apply for MAC addresses. MAC addresses exist in each Ethernet packet and are part of the Ethernet packet header, the ethernet switch implements packet switching and Transmission Based on the Mac source address and Mac Destination Address in the Ethernet packet header.

An IP address is an Internet Protocol address. Each Internet package must contain an IP address. Each Internet Service Provider (ISP) must apply for a group of IP addresses from the relevant organization, and then dynamically assign them to users. The IP address is now 32-bit long and is being expanded to 128-bit. The IP address has nothing to do with the MAC address, because the Ethernet user can still connect to the Internet through the modem to obtain a dynamic IP address, which can be inconsistent each time. The IP address usually works on the WAN, And the router processes the IP address. MAC addresses work in local networks. The interconnection between local networks is usually through the existing public network or dedicated line, and inter-network protocol conversion is required. IP address information can be transmitted on the Ethernet. At this time, the IP address is only part of the data domain of the Ethernet information package. The ethernet switch or processor does not see the IP address, but uses it as common data processing.

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