In Ethernet communications, two addresses are used: Media Access Control (MAC) and ____________.

In Ethernet communications, the two addresses serve different purposes in the networking process. The Media Access Control (MAC) address, which is a hardware address, is used to identify devices on the local network segment and facilitates the delivery of frames between devices within the same network.

The second address, the Internet Protocol (IP) address, operates at a higher layer of the network model. It is responsible for routing packets across multiple networks, allowing communication between devices that are not necessarily on the same physical network. The IP address provides logical addressing and is crucial for locating a device in a potentially vast network of interconnected systems.

Using MAC addresses for communication is limited to a local area network (LAN), whereas IP addresses are essential for Internet-wide communication, making them integral to how devices interact across diverse networks, including the internet. This distinction highlights why the Internet Protocol (IP) is paired with the MAC address in Ethernet communications, reflecting their complementary roles in network functionality.