In a network environment, nodes (network enabled equipment or objects on the network) have unique identifiers. The MAC address is the physical address of a network interface. It is unique at the hardware manufacturer level, and this hardware address uniquely identifies your computer. 

Physical Address: Refers to the physical address of the Ethernet connection to your computer or server. This may also be your MAC (Media Access Control) Address, Host ID, or Server ID. It is twelve characters long and combines numbers (0–9) and letters (A–F, a–f). Your physical address is often presented in this format: XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX.

Each computer with an IP address will also possess a hostname (also known as a Computer Name).

Host Name: The unique identifier that serves as the name of your computer or server.

Below you will find the steps to identifying the hostname of your computer. 

Finding the hostname in Windows

Step 1: Click Start, and search for cmd. Right-click and select run as administrator. If prompted, confirm yes.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

 Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : hostname
 Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : andrew.ad.cmu.edu
 Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Peer-Peer
 IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
 WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
 DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : scs.ad.cs.cmu.edu

Find the hardware address in Windows

1. Press the Start button, type cmd, then press Enter to start up a command shell
2. Type ipconfig /all
3. The hardware address will be listed under "Physical Address"

Finding the hostname in Linux

Step 1: Open the terminal (in Ubuntu, you can search for terminal).

userid ~ $ hostname
hostname.fac.cs.cmu.edu

Find the hardware address in Linux

1. Run /sbin/ifconfig -a
2. The hardware address for each Ethernet interface will be listed in the output after the string "HWaddr".

Find the hostname in macOS

1. Open the terminal (in macOS, you can search for terminal via spotlight).
2. In the terminal, type: hostname (then hit enter/return)

Find the Computer Name in macOS

1. Select "System Preferences" from the Apple Menu.
2. Select System Preferences
3. In System Preferences, open Sharing.
4. View the Computer Name field to confirm.

Find the hardware address in macOS

1. Select "System Preferences" from the Apple Menu.
2. Select Network
3. Select your Ethernet adapter from the menu on the left
4. Click the Advanced button
5. Click the Hardware tab
6. The hardware (MAC) address will be shown below.

If you need further assistance determining your computer's name, please contact WebStore at webstore@illinois.edu.

_{(Thank you https://computing.cs.cmu.edu/help-support/find-hostname for the base of this document.)}