What is a physical address? Logical address?

A physical address, also known as a MAC (Media Access Control) address, is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. It is a low-level, hardware-based address that is typically assigned by the manufacturer of the network interface card (NIC) and stored in its hardware, such as the card's read-only memory or some other firmware mechanism.

On the other hand, a logical address is an address that is assigned to a device in a network. This address is used to identify the device on the network and can change over time or based on the network to which the device is connected. Logical addresses are used in the network layer of the TCP/IP protocol. An example of a logical address is an IP address in an Internet Protocol network.

Here are the steps to understand these concepts:

1. Physical Address:

   • It is a unique identifier for devices on a network.
   • It is assigned by the manufacturer and stored in the hardware of the device.
   • It is used for communication on the physical network segment.
   • An example of a physical address is a MAC address.

2. Logical Address:

   • It is an address assigned to a device on a network.
   • It can change over time or based on the network to which the device is connected.
   • It is used in the network layer of the TCP/IP protocol.
   • An example of a logical address is an IP address.