Class IPAddress::IPv6
In: lib/ipaddress/ipv6.rb
Parent: Object

Name

IPAddress::IPv6 - IP version 6 address manipulation library

Synopsis

   require 'ipaddress'

Description

Class IPAddress::IPv6 is used to handle IPv6 type addresses.

IPv6 addresses

IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long, in contrast with IPv4 addresses which are only 32 bits long. An IPv6 address is generally written as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, each group representing 16 bits or two octect. For example, the following is a valid IPv6 address:

  2001:0db8:0000:0000:0008:0800:200c:417a

Letters in an IPv6 address are usually written downcase, as per RFC. You can create a new IPv6 object using uppercase letters, but they will be converted.

Compression

Since IPv6 addresses are very long to write, there are some semplifications and compressions that you can use to shorten them.

  • Leading zeroes: all the leading zeroes within a group can be omitted: "0008" would become "8"
  • A string of consecutive zeroes can be replaced by the string "::". This can be only applied once.

Using compression, the IPv6 address written above can be shorten into the following, equivalent, address

  2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a

This short version is often used in human representation.

Network Mask

As we used to do with IPv4 addresses, an IPv6 address can be written using the prefix notation to specify the subnet mask:

  2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64

The /64 part means that the first 64 bits of the address are representing the network portion, and the last 64 bits are the host portion.

Methods

<=>   []   []=   address   arpa   bits   broadcast_u128   compress   compressed   data   each   expand   group   group=   groups   groups   hexs   include?   literal   loopback?   mapped?   network   network?   network_u128   new   parse_data   parse_hex   parse_u128   prefix   prefix=   reverse   size   to_hex   to_i   to_s   to_string   to_string_uncompressed   to_u128   unspecified?  

Included Modules

IPAddress Enumerable Comparable

Classes and Modules

Class IPAddress::IPv6::Loopback
Class IPAddress::IPv6::Mapped
Class IPAddress::IPv6::Unspecified

Constants

IN6FORMAT = ("%.4x:"*8).chop   Format string to pretty print IPv6 addresses

Public Class methods

Compress an IPv6 address in its compressed form

  IPAddress::IPv6.compress "2001:0DB8:0000:CD30:0000:0000:0000:0000"
    #=> "2001:db8:0:cd30::"

Expands an IPv6 address in the canocical form

  IPAddress::IPv6.expand "2001:0DB8:0:CD30::"
    #=> "2001:0DB8:0000:CD30:0000:0000:0000:0000"

Extract 16 bits groups from a string

Creates a new IPv6 address object.

An IPv6 address can be expressed in any of the following forms:

  • "2001:0db8:0000:0000:0008:0800:200C:417A": IPv6 address with no compression
  • "2001:db8:0:0:8:800:200C:417A": IPv6 address with leading zeros compression
  • "2001:db8::8:800:200C:417A": IPv6 address with full compression

In all these 3 cases, a new IPv6 address object will be created, using the default subnet mask /128

You can also specify the subnet mask as with IPv4 addresses:

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

Creates a new IPv6 object from binary data, like the one you get from a network stream.

For example, on a network stream the IP

 "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a"

is represented with the binary data

  " \001\r\270\000\000\000\000\000\b\b\000 \fAz"

With that data you can create a new IPv6 object:

  ip6 = IPAddress::IPv6::parse_data " \001\r\270\000\000\000\000\000\b\b\000 \fAz"
  ip6.prefix = 64

  ip6.to_s
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

Creates a new IPv6 object from a number expressed in hexdecimal format:

  ip6 = IPAddress::IPv6::parse_hex("20010db80000000000080800200c417a")
  ip6.prefix = 64

  ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

The prefix parameter is optional:

  ip6 = IPAddress::IPv6::parse_hex("20010db80000000000080800200c417a", 64)

  ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

Creates a new IPv6 object from an unsigned 128 bits integer.

  ip6 = IPAddress::IPv6::parse_u128(42540766411282592856906245548098208122)
  ip6.prefix = 64

  ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

The prefix parameter is optional:

  ip6 = IPAddress::IPv6::parse_u128(42540766411282592856906245548098208122, 64)

  ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

Public Instance methods

Spaceship operator to compare IPv6 objects

Comparing IPv6 addresses is useful to ordinate them into lists that match our intuitive perception of ordered IP addresses.

The first comparison criteria is the u128 value. For example, 2001:db8:1::1 will be considered to be less than 2001:db8:2::1, because, in a ordered list, we expect 2001:db8:1::1 to come before 2001:db8:2::1.

The second criteria, in case two IPv6 objects have identical addresses, is the prefix. An higher prefix will be considered greater than a lower prefix. This is because we expect to see 2001:db8:1::1/64 come before 2001:db8:1::1/65

Example:

  ip1 = IPAddress "2001:db8:1::1/64"
  ip2 = IPAddress "2001:db8:2::1/64"
  ip3 = IPAddress "2001:db8:1::1/65"

  ip1 < ip2
    #=> true
  ip1 < ip3
    #=> false

  [ip1,ip2,ip3].sort.map{|i| i.to_string}
    #=> ["2001:db8:1::1/64","2001:db8:1::1/65","2001:db8:2::1/64"]

Returns the 16-bits value specified by index

  ip = IPAddress("2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64")

  ip[0]
    #=> 8193
  ip[1]
    #=> 3512
  ip[2]
    #=> 0
  ip[3]
    #=> 0

Updated the octet specified at index

Returns the IPv6 address in uncompressed form:

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.address
    #=> "2001:0db8:0000:0000:0008:0800:200c:417a"
arpa()

Alias for reverse

Returns the address portion of an IP in binary format, as a string containing a sequence of 0 and 1

  ip6 = IPAddress("2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a")

  ip6.bits
    #=> "0010000000000001000011011011100000 [...] "

Returns the broadcast address in Unsigned 128bits format

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.broadcast_u128
    #=> 42540766411282592875350729025363378175

Please note that there is no Broadcast concept in IPv6 addresses as in IPv4 addresses, and this method is just an helper to other functions.

Compressed form of the IPv6 address

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.compressed
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a"

Returns the address portion of an IPv6 object in a network byte order format.

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.data
    #=> " \001\r\270\000\000\000\000\000\b\b\000 \fAz"

It is usually used to include an IP address in a data packet to be sent over a socket

  a = Socket.open(params) # socket details here
  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"
  binary_data = ["Address: "].pack("a*") + ip.data

  # Send binary data
  a.puts binary_data

Iterates over all the IP addresses for the given network (or IP address).

The object yielded is a new IPv6 object created from the iteration.

  ip6 = IPAddress("2001:db8::4/125")

  ip6.each do |i|
    p i.compressed
  end
    #=> "2001:db8::"
    #=> "2001:db8::1"
    #=> "2001:db8::2"
    #=> "2001:db8::3"
    #=> "2001:db8::4"
    #=> "2001:db8::5"
    #=> "2001:db8::6"
    #=> "2001:db8::7"

WARNING: if the host portion is very large, this method can be very slow and possibly hang your system!

group(index)

Alias for #[]

group=(index, value)

Alias for #[]=

Returns an array with the 16 bits groups in decimal format:

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.groups
    #=> [8193, 3512, 0, 0, 8, 2048, 8204, 16762]

Returns an array of the 16 bits groups in hexdecimal format:

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.hexs
    #=> ["2001", "0db8", "0000", "0000", "0008", "0800", "200c", "417a"]

Not to be confused with the similar IPv6#to_hex method.

Checks whether a subnet includes the given IP address.

Example:

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"
  addr = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:1/128"

  ip6.include? addr
    #=> true

  ip6.include? IPAddress("2001:db8:1::8:800:200c:417a/76")
    #=> false

Literal version of the IPv6 address

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.literal
    #=> "2001-0db8-0000-0000-0008-0800-200c-417a.ipv6-literal.net"

Returns true if the address is a loopback address

See IPAddress::IPv6::Loopback for more information

Returns true if the address is a mapped address

See IPAddress::IPv6::Mapped for more information

Returns a new IPv6 object with the network number for the given IP.

  ip = IPAddress "2001:db8:1:1:1:1:1:1/32"

  ip.network.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::/32"

True if the IPv6 address is a network

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.network?
    #=> false

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8:8:800::/64"

  ip6.network?
    #=> true

Returns the network number in Unsigned 128bits format

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.network_u128
    #=> 42540766411282592856903984951653826560

Returns an instance of the prefix object

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.prefix
    #=> 64

Set a new prefix number for the object

This is useful if you want to change the prefix to an object created with IPv6::parse_u128 or if the object was created using the default prefix of 128 bits.

  ip6 = IPAddress("2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a")

  puts ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/128"

  ip6.prefix = 64
  puts ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

Returns the IPv6 address in a DNS reverse lookup string, as per RFC3172 and RFC2874.

  ip6 = IPAddress "3ffe:505:2::f"

  ip6.reverse
    #=> "f.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.2.0.0.0.5.0.5.0.e.f.f.3.ip6.arpa"

Returns the number of IP addresses included in the network. It also counts the network address and the broadcast address.

  ip6 = IPAddress("2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64")

  ip6.size
    #=> 18446744073709551616

Returns a Base16 number representing the IPv6 address

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.to_hex
    #=> "20010db80000000000080800200c417a"

Returns a decimal format (unsigned 128 bit) of the IPv6 address

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.to_i
    #=> 42540766411282592856906245548098208122

Returns the IPv6 address in a human readable form, using the compressed address.

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.to_s
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a"

Returns the IPv6 address in a human readable form, using the compressed address.

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:0db8:0000:0000:0008:0800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.to_string
    #=> "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

Unlike its counterpart IPv6#to_string method, IPv6#to_string_uncompressed returns the whole IPv6 address and prefix in an uncompressed form

  ip6 = IPAddress "2001:db8::8:800:200c:417a/64"

  ip6.to_string_uncompressed
    #=> "2001:0db8:0000:0000:0008:0800:200c:417a/64"
to_u128()

Alias for to_i

Returns true if the address is an unspecified address

See IPAddress::IPv6::Unspecified for more information

[Validate]