Data Link Control (DLC)

An address that uniquely identifies a node on a network. Every network adapter has a DLC address or DLC identifier (DLCI). Some network protocols, such as Ethernet and Token Ring, use DLC addresses exclusively. Other protocols, such as TCP/IP, use a logical address at the OSI Network layer to identify nodes.
However, all network addresses must eventually be translated to DLC addresses. In TCP/IP networks, this translation is performed by the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).