
The MAC provides control over determining destination addressing, sends along its own address to receive data, and duplexes and assembles data into packets for transmission to another device.

For high port count switches there are dedicated controller ICs for this function. Medium access control (MAC): The MAC is typically integrated into the processor of the device (FPGA, ASIC, MCU, or other component), or it may be present as a standalone controller.Within the IEEE 802 standards, Ethernet devices contain three primary elements, all of which must be routed together in a specific manner: High-level Ethernet Layout, Routing, and Architecture The overall architecture for creating Ethernet-capable devices is deceptively simple, but certain rules should be followed to ensure signal integrity.

Thankfully, Ethernet routing standards make it easy for designers to create everything from complex networking equipment to single-board computers for any application.

Ethernet over copper is likely part of the backbone of your office building’s networking infrastructure.
