Ethernet Hostids

The Ethernet address is used on some system architectures as the hostid. An ethernet address is a 6-byte quantity, with each byte specified as two hexadecimal digits. Specify all twelve hex digits when using an Ethernet address as a hostid. For example, if the ethernet address is 8:0:20:0:5:ac, specify 0800200005ac as the hostid.

Several devices with an ethernet address can be attached to a machine; some of these might be virtual devices that generate a different ethernet address each time they are activated. An example of a virtual device that might generate an ethernet address is VPN (virtual private network) software.

Some devices that have an ethernet address can be detatchable from the machine. For example, a laptop plugged into a docking station uses the ethernet address of the docking station; however, when it is disconnected from the docking station, the ethernet address is no longer available. A wireless adapter also has an ethernet address and this address is not available when either the wireless adapter is removed from the machine or when the wireless adapter is disabled, but still physically attached to the machine.

When lmhostid returns multiple ethernet hostids, ensure that you choose a permanent or stable hostid to identify your machine.

Note:FlexNet Publisher considers the address of any team-bonding virtual adaptor (for teamed Ethernet interfaces) as a stable identifier for use as a permanent hostid.