We’re looking to benchmark how other companies manage sequential assignment of media access control addresses across multiple manufacturing stations and facilities. Can you give us any help?
Information on the actual manufacturing processes might be difficult to find. The hardware addresses built into network devices are administered by the IEEE and assigned to manufacturers in blocks.
The 48-bit MAC address is being replaced by the 64-bit EUI-64 identifier. Click here for links to “Guidelines for 64-bit Global Identifier (EUI-64) Registration Authority” as well as additional hardware address guideline information.
A manufacturing process portal at www.processonline.com.au may be helpful.
The best exposition I could find is an application note from Maxim-IC about how to use its 1-Wire addresses. A white paper on the overall problem offers three different approaches. The EUI-64 identifier components containing hardware addresses for inclusion in other devices also can be purchased, but that begs the question of how addresses are assigned to those components.
You might have to cold-call Ethernet manufacturers and ask if they want to explain it.
