What is the hardware address of the intended recipient referred to as?

The hardware address of the intended recipient is referred to as the MAC address. A MAC address, or Media Access Control address, is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. This address operates at the data link layer of the OSI model and is crucial for local area networking, as it ensures that data packets are sent to the correct device within the same network.

MAC addresses allow devices to identify and communicate over a shared network. They are typically assigned by the manufacturer and can be either permanent or changed through software. This differs from IP addresses, which are logical addresses used for routing data across the internet and may change depending on the network configuration.

The other terms describe different concepts. An IP address serves a similar purpose in identifying devices but operates at a higher layer and can change based on the network to which the device is connected. A physical address could be a general term that may refer to the MAC address, but it is not the specific term used in networking contexts. A logical address is associated with the network layer, similar to the IP address, and is also not the correct term for hardware addressing. Thus, the MAC address is the most precise term for the hardware address of the intended recipient on a local network.