Network, Networking Technology, Data Communication Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

MAC: Media Access Control

The Media Access Control (MAC) is a sublayer in data link layer of the OSI network model that determines who is allowed to access the physical media at any one time. It acts as an interface between the Logical Link Control sublayer and the network's physical layer. The MAC sublayer is primarily concerned with the control of access to the physical transmission medium (i.e. which of the stations attached to the wire or frequency range has the right to transmit) or low-level media-sharing protocols like CSMA/CD. MAC provides unique identification and access control for computers on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. MAC assigns a unique number to each IP network adapter called the MAC address.

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MAC: Media Access Control