Avaya P332G-ML - Manual (Page 92)

Chapter 11 Avaya P330 Layer 2 Features
76 Avaya P332G-ML User’s Guide
MAC Address
The MAC address is a unique 48-bit value associated with any network adapter.
MAC addresses are also known as hardware addresses or physical addresses. They
uniquely identify an adapter on a LAN.
MAC addresses are 12-digit hexadecimal numbers (48 bits in length). By
convention, MAC addresses are usually written in one of the following two formats:
•
MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS
• MM-MM-MM-SS-SS-SS
The first half of a MAC address contains the ID number of the device manufacturer.
These IDs are regulated by an Internet standards body. The second half of a MAC
address represents the serial number assigned to the device by the manufacturer.
CAM Table
The CAM Table contains a mapping of learned MAC addresses to port and VLANs.
The switch checks forwarding requests against the addresses contained in the CAM
Table:
•
If the MAC address appears in the CAM Table, the packet is forwarded to the
appropriate port.
• If the MAC address does not appear in the CAM Table, or the MAC Address
mapping has changed, the frame is duplicated and copied to all the ports. Once
a reply is received, the CAM table is updated with the new address/VLAN port
mapping.