Are there any limitations or uncertainties when retrieving system information like MAC addresses in PHP?

When retrieving system information like MAC addresses in PHP, there may be limitations or uncertainties due to differences in server configurations or permissions. To ensure accurate retrieval of MAC addresses, it is recommended to use a combination of server-side and client-side techniques.

// Get MAC address using server-side technique
function getMacAddress() {
    $macAddr = false;
    $arpTable = shell_exec('arp -n');
    $lines = explode("\n", $arpTable);

    foreach ($lines as $line) {
        $cols = preg_split('/\s+/', trim($line));
        if (isset($cols[2]) && $cols[1] == 'ether') {
            $macAddr = $cols[2];
            break;
        }
    }

    return $macAddr;
}

// Output MAC address
echo "MAC Address: " . getMacAddress();