The correct answer is: C. hardware address
A MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used as hardware addresses in the data link layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.
A network address is a logical address used in the network layer of the OSI model. Network addresses are used to identify hosts on a network.
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique number assigned to each device (e.g., computer, printer) participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address is a 32-bit number that is usually written as four numbers separated by dots (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
A burned-in address (BIA) is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface card (NIC) by the manufacturer. The BIA is typically stored in the NIC’s firmware and cannot be changed.