# Imaging MAC Addresses (Pass-Through MAC Addresses)

#### **What**

For Windows imaging, FileWave can store a manually entered Imaging MAC Address separately from the MAC addresses the client reports through inventory. This matters when the imaging address belongs to a USB Ethernet adapter, or is a pass-through MAC address, and is not always active on the device. Keeping the imaging value separate prevents inventory updates from overwriting the address IVS should use.

#### **When/Why**

Some Windows devices expose a pass-through MAC address for USB Ethernet adapters. Instead of using the adapter's own MAC address, the adapter presents a device-specific address. This avoids many devices sharing the same adapter MAC address, but the pass-through address may not appear in FileWave inventory unless it is active during inventory reporting.

#### **How**

Use the editable "Imaging MAC Address" column in views that show clients, such as Clients, Imaging, and Associations. When you enter an Imaging MAC Address for a Windows client, FileWave stores it separately from "Serial/MAC". The value can be set in these cases:

1. When a placeholder is created
2. When a placeholder is imported from a text file

When "Imaging MAC Address" is set for an added client, the "Serial/MAC" column is unchanged. Because this field is used for Windows imaging, it does not create enrollment conflicts; serial/MAC enrollment conflicts apply to macOS.

![ImagingMACaddress](https://kb.filewave.com/uploads/images/gallery/2023-06/xJhLWyPvNT3pc3Ad-screenshot-2021-08-05-at-11-42-38.png)

IVS recognizes Windows client MAC addresses reported to inventory and the manually specified Imaging MAC Address, if one exists.

You can also mass-import Imaging MAC Addresses with the import tool in the web admin console.