How to get Mac address of ethernet port?

[Chris Angelico]

On Sun, Jan 12, 2014 at 8:55 AM, Roy Smith <roy at panix.com> wrote:
> In article <mailman.5336.1389476410.18130.python-list at python.org>,
>  Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> We had a connection set up a few years
>> ago where the ISP tech recorded the source MAC into the far end, and
>> only that MAC would work - so when I stuck in a different router, I
>> needed to switch it to the old MAC before it could establish a
>> connection. Stupid? Yes. Unusual? I hope so
>
> Actually, I think it's pretty common.

Sad.

> I had exactly the same problem a few years ago.  My DSL router fried
> itself.  I got a new one and it was easier to make it fake out the old
> router's MAC than to get my carrier to update their head end
> configuration[1].
>
> [1] Roy's law of dealing with service providers.  Anything you can do
> yourself is easier than interfacing with tech support.

Unless you expect that doing it yourself will take upwards of an hour,
don't even bother talking to tech support, at least with the ISPs I
know. There's only *ONE* time when I got results quicker than that
(or, say, half an hour absolute minimum): with iiNet, I rang their
support and got dropped into a classic IVR system, and one of the
options was "Press whatever to get the basic setup information for
your connection". A couple more prompts and I was given a prerecorded
pile of numbers and settings, one of which was the exact one I was
having trouble with. With any other kind of business, this sort of
thing belongs on the web site, but for obvious reasons that's less
useful for an ISP :)

ChrisA