Coming from a Windows background is there any easy way to determine the MAC address of the internal network interfaces (Airport / LAN) without reading it off the card itself.

Just wanted to add it to my wireless router MAC filtering rules.
Like an "ipconfig /all" command.

try ifconfig instead i think.

Go

"About this Mac" top left hand Apple symbol

"More info" button

"Network" from the list

Select relevant "Configuration name / Interface" to get MAC address

You can find this info by typing the following in a Terminal prompt:

Or the following for certain other interfaces (ie, Firewire connections):

For example,

(MAC address censored for aluminium-hat-wearing reasons)

Check out the BSD man page on ifconfig for more info.

or just look on the back of the machine, on the serial number sticker!

said sticker is under the keyboard on ibooks and powerbooks. And it will only show built in ethernet devices. Eg on my ibook it only has the built in ethernet MAC address but not the airport card (or any other aftermarket card)

Apart from the many suggestions already, you could go to network settings, and select the network device. For an airport card, it's the airport ID (under airport), for ethernet it's the ethernet ID (under ethernet).

EDIT: it also happens to be wrong on my ibook. Had the logic board replaced a few months ago.

Kind of a bit off topic, but why do people do XXX's for the MAC address or blur it out in pictures. I understand what it is, but i dont know why it matters if people know online. Its just a hardware ID that doesnt change and is unique to that device, well i know that, maybe someone can fill me in on the rest.

I would assume that it's like blurring out a licence plate in a photo or your IP address. For privacy. Some paranoid people do it some don't.

Aye. what happens is when you buy a macintosh, Apple report the MAC address to the government, who then link it with the ID implant in the back of your neck, so they can more easily track you, your thoughts and who you communicate with.

It's true! I read it on the intertron!

dana

For security reasons mainly. A lot of networks use MAC address filtering, so therefore publishing your MAC address would be a security threat. It is easy for a potential cracker to 'spoof' their MAC address and fool the network (which is why you should never rely on MAC address filtering for security).

Also people do it for privacy reasons. The WWW is a very public place and you have no idea who may be looking.

edit: damn people beat me to it :P

either you guys are really quick, or I'm really slow. Maybe I should go to bed.

Actually, in the case of wireless networks, keeping your MAC address private is usually a good thing when you can lock said network down to specific MAC addresses. Sure, we also have things like WPA, and other such features - but in the case of having network resources (like internet access and file shares) that have the potential to be used by outside parties without your knowledge, you can't be too secure.

In my case, that's a desktop box, and I don't own or need a wireless network (RJ-45 for life!), but I never claimed it wasn't an aluminium-hat-wearing reason.

Fake edit: And yes, your reported MAC address on a network CAN be changed via software. It just defaults to the original hardware ID.

Real edit: Crap... beaten like a red-headed stepchild.

Easiest way:

Applications -> Utilities -> Network Utility

On the drop down box select Ethernet Interface (en0)

It took 11 replies to get the solution that is the most simple and logical? :lol:

Nice work TAK