> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://derek-johnson-1.gitbook.io/welcome/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://derek-johnson-1.gitbook.io/welcome/freshman/network-150/week-3/johnson-01-27-23-observinglan.md).

# johnson-01-27-23-ObservingLan

#### What is a MAC address and what are its components?

A MAC address is a physical unique identifier for a device given by it's manufacturer. 

#### How to get a MAC address.

You can look your devices mac address up through settings or a component listing command, or you could use Wireshark to capture a ping request to a internal or external host.

#### What is Wireshark and how to use it.

Wireshark is a network tool to sniff packets and give insight on where they go and what data they carry.

#### How to find a protocol in Wireshark.

You can filter for specific protocols if you would like, it shows you in one of the columns what protocol is being utilized.