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Media access control (MAC), also called medium access control, is the data-link function that governs who may transmit over a shared network medium and when. In the IEEE 802 data-link architecture, MAC is the lower sublayer, between the physical layer and logical link control (LLC).
What does media access control do?
When multiple devices use a shared transmission medium, their transmissions need to be coordinated. MAC governs access to that medium: it determines when a device may send data so devices can share the transmission opportunity.
MAC describes a networking function or service, not one universal method for coordinating every kind of network. IEEE 802.1AC defines the MAC service in terms of its semantics, actions, events, parameters, and valid sequences. The standard defines what the service provides; it is not itself a single access algorithm. IEEE 802.1AC
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Where does MAC sit in the network architecture?
In the IEEE 802 data-link architecture, MAC is the lower of the data-link layer’s two sublayers. The physical layer is below it, and logical link control (LLC) is above it. IEEE’s Technology Navigator describes MAC as sitting between those layers and notes that IEEE 802 standards address both data-link sublayers explicitly. IEEE Technology Navigator
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- Physical layer: carries signals over the transmission medium.
- MAC: governs access to the medium.
- LLC: is the data-link sublayer above MAC.
Is media access control the same as a MAC address?
No. Media access control is a data-link function or service. A MAC address is a separate networking term; the address itself does not control when a device may transmit. Treating the two as interchangeable confuses the access-control function with an address.
What does IEEE 802.1AC define?
IEEE 802.1AC defines the MAC service provided by IEEE 802 MACs, along with the Internal Sublayer Service used within MAC Bridges. It describes the service abstractly through its semantics, actions, events, parameters, and valid sequences. IEEE 802.1AC overview
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The 2016 revision was published on 2017-03-10, according to IEEE’s revision page. IEEE 802.1AC-2016 IEEE’s maintenance page reported a draft submitted to the IEEE SA Review Committee and an archive item dated 2026-07-13, in a status snapshot checked on 2026-10-07. That page does not establish that a revision has since been approved or published. IEEE 802.1AC revision status
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