On 29 Jul 2002 22:09:29 -0400
Wes Kurdziolek <wkurdzio_at_cslab.vt.edu> wrote:
> As some of you know, I'm working on gpe-setup. It's gotten *very*
> complicated in order to support hot-pluggable devices. Anyway, I've
> got a question which is a bit OT but y'all might be able to answer. Do
> a lot of the hot-pluggable Ethernet adapters have non-static MAC
> addresses? That is, do they generate their own MAC addresses every
> time they power on (like the cheap-o RealTek PCI NICs)? I know the
> hot-pluggable wireless Ethernet adapters don't or at least shouldn't
> due to wireless standards, but I haven't used many wired Ethernet
> adapters. Thanks!
Oh oh ... you see me a little confused now!
To my knowledge ethernet adapters MUST NOT change their addresses. They
are assigned worldwide uniqe IEEE MAC addresses. Every vendor has its
own address range. Devices that simulate ethernet MAC like an iPaq doing
pseudo ethernet via USB may do MAC address simulation since you cannot
hardcode an address into the software because everyone using that
software would have the same address which leads to Ethernet MAC
addresses must be unique! So guessing a number is in general not an
option and I really doubt that any hardware will do so. If it does it
IMHO violates ethernet IEEE standard regulations and should be
considered severely broken.
CU
nils faerber
-- kernel concepts Tel: +49-271-771091-12 Dreisbachstr. 24 Fax: +49-271-771091-19 D-57250 Netphen D1 : +49-170-2729106 --Received on Tue Jul 30 2002 - 09:14:31 EDT
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