What is ffff ffff ffff?

ffff.ffff.ffff represents a broadcast MAC address.

According to the provided reference, ffff.ffff.ffff is a special reserved MAC address that indicates a broadcast frame. This means that a frame sent to this destination address will be received by every device on the local network segment.

Here's a breakdown:

• MAC Address: A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment.

• Broadcast MAC Address: A broadcast MAC address is a special MAC address that signifies that the frame should be sent to all devices on the network. ffff.ffff.ffff is the universally recognized broadcast MAC address.

• ARP Requests and Broadcasts: When a device needs to find the MAC address associated with a particular IP address on the local network, it sends out an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) request. These requests are typically sent as broadcast frames, meaning the destination MAC address is set to ffff.ffff.ffff. This ensures that every device on the network receives the request, and the device with the matching IP address can then respond.

Feature	Description
MAC Address	Unique identifier for a network interface.
Broadcast MAC	A special MAC address to send frames to all devices on the network.
Address
Value	ffff.ffff.ffff
Use Case	Broadcasting ARP requests, sending announcements to all devices on the local network, etc.
Reference Usage	Used in Layer 2 destination indicating a broadcast frame for an ARP Request.