Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!VAX.FTP.COM!stev
From: stev@VAX.FTP.COM
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Mobile Toasters (was ToasterNet..)
Message-ID: <8812141524.AA12587@vax.ftp.com>
Date: 14 Dec 88 15:24:16 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 28


*Re: What was the rationale for 48-bit Ethernet addresses?  They are never
*	used beyond the "Local" Area Network; 
*
*Also, unique host numbers are useful in large distributed systems  (for
*generating unique identifiers).  It just happens to be a nice optimization
*that a unique 48-bit XNS host number and a 48-bit Ethernet address are the
*same.  
*
*There is some danger though for a distributed system algorithm which
*absolutely depend son a unique ID.  We have seen cases in the Xerox
*Internet where 48-bit host numbers were not unique as intended.
*(Apparently PROM burners can get stuck on the same number once in a while.)
*
*John Larson
*Xerox PARC
*

part of the win also was that the numbering was "distributed"
have the ethernet address was vendor code, half was "serial number".
(i realize that "serial number" is not the real title, but it always
suprised me that most boards has a diffrent serial number if one
is mentioned.) makes it easier to figure out the "class" of machines
that is troubling you, and gives them the freedom to do with their
numbers as they wish.

stev knowles
stev@ftp.com
ftp software