Find MAC Address

What is a MAC Address
A 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 instead 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 description will be titled "PPP" or "modem."

Obtaining Your MAC Address
If you cannot find your MAC address in either the box or on the card, please follow the instructions below, depending on your operating system (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 Professional, Win XP, Macintosh OS, Macintosh OS X, Solaris/SunOS, Linux, FreeBSD, or HP).

WINDOWS NT / 2000 PROFESSIONAL or XP:

* Using your mouse, click on the Start Button.

* Click on Programs.
* Next, click on Accessories, and then Command Prompt.
* Once a small black window appears, type in ipconfig /all (with a space between the g and the /) then press Enter.
* Locate the number to the right of Physical Address. This is your MAC address.

VISTA

* Click on the Start Button
* Type "command" in the search box
* Hit Enter
* In the Command Prompt window, type: ipconfig /all (with a space between the g and /) then press Enter.
* Scroll up until you find the Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Adapter section.
Look for the Physical Address located in this section.
It will look something like this: 00-10-AB-79-E5-00

WINDOWS 95/98/ME:

* After clicking on the Start Button, click on Run.
* In the white space of the window, type in the word winipcfg
* Click on "OK".
* Look under the info for the Ethernet adapter. (Your system may also have a modem.)
* 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:

* Click the Apple Menu.
* Click on "Control Panels" to open your control panels folder.
* Open the "TCP/IP" control panel
* Go to the Edit Menu
* Click on User Mode
* Change the mode to "Advanced" and click "OK".
* Click on the "Info" button
* 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

* From the dock, select "System Preferences".
* Select the "Network" Pane
* With the AIRPORT tab selected, the number next to AIRPORT ID is your MAC address

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 <UP,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.