why do we need an IP address if any physical network interface already has a unique MAC address?

[latent shell]

@ me when replying

[lofty hazel]

You may want to run multiple IP devices off ofone physical device.

MAC addresses aren't be guaranteed to be unique, IP addresses are assigned when the device connects to the network so the DHCP server can guarantee that the IP it gives is unique to that network.

MAC addresses also carry less information. An IP address will belong to a network and will match the network mask. This helps with routing. You can look at the first few bits of any public IP address and know where in the world that device is, you can then look at more bits to narrow it down further. That's why your home network will have IP addresses that all start the same and only the last number is different for each device. Your local devices are behind a NAT so the first bits of those IP's aren't used to route traffic to you, but the idea is the same. The final bits route to a device and the bits before that route across the network.

[latent shell]

ah okay that makes sense

thank you so much

also

may I ask a few more questions

[lofty hazel]

You can

[latent shell]

ive tried many times and each time i get diffrent values

[latent shell]

you there?

[latent shell]

@lofty hazel

[lofty hazel]

I haven't done this kinda stuff in a very long time, don't recall how it exactly works. It's mostly an academic exercise unless you're doing some incredibly niche projects.