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.
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