What is the purpose of MAC addressing in a network?

The purpose of MAC addressing, or Media Access Control addressing, is to uniquely identify devices on a local network. Every network interface card (NIC) has a unique MAC address assigned to it, which allows network devices to recognize each other. This unique identification is crucial for the Ethernet protocol to facilitate communication within the same local area network (LAN).

When data packets travel over the network, they rely on MAC addresses to ensure that the data is directed to the correct device. This is particularly important in the context of local communication, where devices need to distinguish between multiple devices on the same network segment. The use of MAC addresses enables reliable data transfer by ensuring that packets reach their intended destinations without confusion.

In contrast, other options like routing traffic across multiple networks pertains to IP addresses rather than MAC addresses. Encrypting communications is a separate process that ensures data security but is unrelated to the function of MAC addresses. Similarly, while establishing a connection between two computers may be a step in networking, it does not pertain to the unique identification role served by MAC addresses.