Determine the MAC Address of a Host

Table of Contents

Objective

·      Determine the MAC address of a Windows XP computer on an Ethernet network using the ipconfig

/all command.

·      Access to the Run command.

Background/Preparation

Every computer on an Ethernet local network has a Media Access Control (MAC) address that is burned into the Network Interface Card (NIC). Computer MAC addresses are usually displayed as 6 sets of two hexadecimal numbers separated by dashes or colons. (example: 15-EF-A3-45-9B-57). The ipconfig /all command displays the computer MAC address. You may work individually or in teams.

The following resources are required:

·      Windows XP workstation with at least one Ethernet network interface card (NIC)

Step 1: Open a Windows command prompt window

a.   From the Windows XP desktop, click Start then Run.

 b.   Type cmd in the Run dialogue box then click OK.

 c.   A Windows command prompt window opens.

 Step 2: Use the ipconfig /all command

a.   Enter the ipconfig /all command at the command prompt.

 b.   Press Enter. (Typical results are shown in the following figure, but your computer will display different

information.)