Switch MAC address
A switch is a network component similar to a router, except that a switch does not direct network traffic like a router. The advantage of a switch is that it allows for hundreds of network computer connections. Switches are often connected to routers and work in conjunction to segment traffic. For this reason, it might be necessary to know the MAC address on the switch. Obtaining the MAC address on a switch involves logging into its console and typing the right commands.
- Open a Telnet window and enter the IP address of the switch. For instance, to open a Telnet connection in Windows, type "Telnet
." Replace " " with the IP address of the switch. - Type the username and password when prompted. For small networks, you might not have a username or password set. If no credentials are needed, you are brought directly to the console. Type "Enable" to start the Privileged Exec Mode, which is needed to obtain the switch MAC address.
- Obtain the address of the MAC table by typing "Show Mac-Address-Table Dynamic" into the console. This will list a table name where the switch MAC addresses are stored. Take note of this table address.
- Type "Show Mac-Address-Table Address
" into the switch console. Replace " " with the address obtained from Step 3. After this command is typed, the MAC address for the switch is displayed. - Read the MAC address from the table. Below is an example of a switch output table. The second column shown is the switch MAC address.
---- ----------- -------- -----
60 0001.2a43.abc2 DYNAMIC Gi0/1
In this example, "0001.2a43.abc2" is the switch MAC address.
