What is the purpose of a MAC address on a network device?

A MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique hardware address assigned to the network interface of a device. It is used for network communication at the data link layer of the OSI model.

A. unique network address that identifies the network interface of a device - Incorrect. This describes an IP address. B. unique network interface address that is provided by the DHCP server - Incorrect. MAC addresses are hardware-based, not provided by DHCP. C. unique hardware address that identifies the network interface of a device - Correct. This is the correct definition of a MAC address. D. unique hardware interface address that is provided by the central switch - Incorrect. MAC addresses are not provided by switches.

References:

Cisco MAC Address Basics