Retrieving System MAC Address Across OS Platforms

The PHP function `getMacAddress()` retrieves the MAC address of the server it's running on, catering to both Windows and Linux/Unix/Mac environments. The function first detects the operating system` using the `PHP_OS` constant. For Windows, it executes the `getmac` command and extracts the address using a regular expression. For Linux/Unix/Mac, it uses the `ifconfig` or `ip link` commands with `grep` to extract the MAC address. The function returns the MAC address if found, otherwise it returns false. The usage of the function is demonstrated with error handling using a try-catch block. Important considerations include permissions, multiple interfaces, security, environment differences, and virtualization/containers. The script provides a practical way to retrieve a system's MAC address across different operating systems. However, it's essential to consider the mentioned limitations and potential adjustments required for specific scenarios.