The Media Access Control (MAC) address table is a way to assign each port to a MAC address. This makes it more efficient to route traffic directly to the host. Without the MAC address table, data traffic is forwarded from each port like a hub, MAC address table
Content Addressable Memory (CAM) table is another name for referring to the MAC address table. It is used by Ethernet switches to control where to direct traffic on a LAN. The MAC address permits the PCs to extraordinarily distinguish themselves on an organization at an extremely low level.
When talking about computers and network devices, Internet Protocol (IP) address and Media Access Control (MAC) is both very important.
MAC Address VS IP Address
MAC address table is a bit oversimplified but working of IP addressing as supporting software implementations and MAC addressing as supporting hardware implementations of the network stack. MAC addresses usually follow fixed network devices, but when a network device changes the network, the IP address changes.
The IP network maintains an association between the device’s IP address and its MAC address. This mapping is called the ARP cache or ARP table. ARP, an address resolution protocol, captures this mapping and supports the logic to keep the cache up to date. DHCP typically uses MAC addresses to manage the unique assignment of IP addresses to devices.
The method of finding the MAC address depends on the type of network device involved. All major network operating systems include utilities that allow you to find (and possibly change) your MAC address settings.
MAC Working With Cable Modems
Broadband modems store the MAC address of the host computer’s network adapter in addition to the MAC address that is stored in the ISP. The cloning of the address is not required.
A Common reason for cable modem connection failure can be changes done to the network adapters. However, all you need to do to resolve this issue is to reset your cable modem and computer.
When a consumer replaces their modem or adds a broadband router, the MAC address will not be able to match that registered at the ISP, and the ISP will not perform at the consumer’s Internet connection.
How Does MAC Table Works?
The switch maintains an address table called the mac address table to efficiently switch frames between interfaces. When the switch receives a frame, it maps the sending device’s MAC address to the receiving switch port.
The switch creates a MAC address table by recording the MAC addresses of all the devices connected to each port. The switch uses the information in the MAC address table to send a particular frame for a particular device over a port assigned to that particular device.
PC and MAC Address
The MAC address is most often assigned by the manufacturer of the network interface controller (NIC) and stored in that hardware, for example, the card’s read-only memory.
If the PC is configured as a bridge, it does not have a MAC address table. No MAC table is needed because the PC does not forward frames from one interface to another.