Network Administrator Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to CompTIA Network+® Skills, Second Edition

1.4. Task 1.4: Discovering and Filtering MAC Addresses

There are various methods of filtering traffic in an internetwork. While this task may seem to fit better in Phase 3, "Maintaining and Securing the Network," it is presented here because of its value in discovering and cataloging the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of the devices in your network. Such a task should always be performed as early as possible in the deployment of an internetwork, preferably not later than the time of official deployment.

Recall that the MAC address is a 48-bit numerical value, most often expressed as a 12-digit hexadecimal number. These addresses are somewhat permanently stored in read-only memory (ROM) on those devices with a LAN interface meant for network ...