NetworkingAlso called: "mac vendor", "manufacturer id"
OUI helps identify device manufacturers from MAC addresses.
Structure
- MAC address: 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E
- OUI: 00:1A:2B (manufacturer)
- Device-specific: 3C:4D:5E (unique to device)
Common OUIs
- 00:50:56 - VMware
- 08:00:27 - Oracle VirtualBox
- 00:0C:29 - VMware
- D8:9E:F3 - Apple
- 00:15:5D - Microsoft Hyper-V
Use cases
- Network inventory and asset management.
- Identify unauthorized devices.
- Troubleshoot network issues.
- Detect virtual machines vs physical devices.
- Security monitoring and analysis.
Lookup tools
- IEEE OUI database (official).
- MAC address vendor lookup websites.
- Network scanning tools (nmap).
Privacy note
- MAC addresses can track devices across networks.
- Modern devices use MAC randomization.
Explore More Networking
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The hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses.
Read more →IP Address Geolocation
The process of determining the geographic location of an internet-connected device using its IP address.
Read more →MAC Address
A unique hardware identifier assigned to network interfaces for local network communication.
Read more →Network Protocol
A set of rules defining how data is transmitted and received over a network.
Read more →Port Numbers
Numerical identifiers (0-65535) used to route network traffic to specific services on a device.
Read more →Subnet Mask
A 32-bit number that divides an IP address into network and host portions for routing.
Read more →