(1) Short for
Data Link Control, the second lowest layer in the
OSI Reference Model. Every
network interface card (NIC) has a
DLC address or
DLC identifier (DLCI) that uniquely identifies the
node on the network. Some network
protocols, such as
Ethernet and
Token-Ring use the DLC addresses exclusively. Other protocols, such as
TCP/IP, use a logical address at the Network Layer to identify nodes. Ultimately, however, all network addresses must be translated to DLC addresses. In TCP/IP networks, this translation is performed with the
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).
For networks that conform to the IEEE 802 standards (e.g., Ethernet ), the DLC address is usually called the Media Access Control (MAC) address.
See a breakdown of the seven OSI layers in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.
(2) Short for digital loop carrier.
