I'm new to MySQL so can't answer the OP's question, but:
MAC addresses do not by design contain letters. Native MAC addresses are 48-bit (6-byte)
integers:
http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/download/802-2001.pdf
The confusion arises because a MAC address is usually /represented/ as hexadecimal, and
that might contain letters, but MAC addresses natively are pure 6-byte integers.
So the issue is whether you want to index by a 48-bit number or a 12-character ascii
string. For efficiency's sake, I'm guessing you'd choose the former.
I'll be interested in the answer, though, from someone with experience.
-- Pete Wilson
http://www.pwilson.net/
--- On Thu, 5/14/09, Jim Lyons <jlyons4435@stripped> wrote:
> From: Jim Lyons <jlyons4435@stripped>
> Subject: Re: MAC address as primary key - BIGINT or CHAR(12)
> To: "Ilia KATZ" <ikatz@stripped>
> Cc: mysql@stripped
> Date: Thursday, May 14, 2009, 11:38 AM
> Definitely CHAR (or VARCHAR).
>
> If the format of a MAC address changes at all, you could be
> in real
> trouble. Also, if a MAC address can have a leading 0
> (I don't know anything
> about MAC addresses), then storing it as some sort of
> number could lose
> that.
>
> This is a general rule for me. A field might only
> contain numbers (at one
> particular point in time) but if those numbers are
> really nominal data (in
> which the size or order does not matter) then they should
> be CHAR or VARCHAR
> fields anyway.
>
> On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 8:26 AM, Ilia KATZ <ikatz@stripped>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi.
> > Currently I have a table:
> > 1. MAC address defined as BIGINT
> > 2. MAC address set as primary key
> >
> > Should I consider changing it to CHAR(12)?
> >
> > Replies will be appreciated.
> > Ilia
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Jim Lyons
> Web developer / Database administrator
> http://www.weblyons.com
>
