NetAddr::IP::Lite(3) Manages IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and subnets

SYNOPSIS


use NetAddr::IP::Lite qw(
Zeros
Ones
V4mask
V4net
:aton DEPRECATED !
:old_nth
:upper
:lower
:nofqdn
);
my $ip = new NetAddr::IP::Lite '127.0.0.1';
or if your prefer
my $ip = NetAddr::IP::Lite->new('127.0.0.1);
or from a packed IPv4 address
my $ip = new_from_aton NetAddr::IP::Lite (inet_aton('127.0.0.1'));
or from an octal filtered IPv4 address
my $ip = new_no NetAddr::IP::Lite '127.012.0.0';
print "The address is ", $ip->addr, " with mask ", $ip->mask, "\n" ;
if ($ip->within(new NetAddr::IP::Lite "127.0.0.0", "255.0.0.0")) {
print "Is a loopback address\n";
}
# This prints 127.0.0.1/32
print "You can also say $ip...\n";
The following four functions return ipV6 representations of:
:: = Zeros();
FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF = Ones();
FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:: = V4mask();
::FFFF:FFFF = V4net();
Will also return an ipV4 or ipV6 representation of a
resolvable Fully Qualified Domanin Name (FQDN).

INSTALLATION

Un-tar the distribution in an appropriate directory and type: 

        perl Makefile.PL
        make
        make test
        make install

NetAddr::IP::Lite depends on NetAddr::IP::Util which installs by default with its primary functions compiled using Perl's XS extensions to build a 'C' library. If you do not have a 'C' compiler available or would like the slower Pure Perl version for some other reason, then type: 

        perl Makefile.PL -noxs
        make
        make test
        make install

DESCRIPTION

This module provides an object-oriented abstraction on top of IP addresses or IP subnets, that allows for easy manipulations. Most of the operations of NetAddr::IP are supported. This module will work with older versions of Perl and is compatible with Math::BigInt.

* By default NetAddr::IP functions and methods return string IPv6 addresses in uppercase. To change that to lowercase:

NOTE: the AUGUST 2010 RFC5952 states: 

    4.3. Lowercase
      The characters "a", "b", "c", "d", "e", and "f" in an IPv6
      address MUST be represented in lowercase.

It is recommended that all NEW applications using NetAddr::IP::Lite be invoked as shown on the next line. 

  use NetAddr::IP::Lite qw(:lower);

* To ensure the current IPv6 string case behavior even if the default changes: 

  use NetAddr::IP::Lite qw(:upper);

The internal representation of all IP objects is in 128 bit IPv6 notation. IPv4 and IPv6 objects may be freely mixed.

The supported operations are described below:

Overloaded Operators

Assignment ("=")
Has been optimized to copy one NetAddr::IP::Lite object to another very quickly.
"->copy()"
The assignment ("=") operation is only put in to operation when the copied object is further mutated by another overloaded operation. See overload SPECIAL SYMBOLS FOR ``use overload'' for details.

"->copy()" actually creates a new object when called.

Stringification
An object can be used just as a string. For instance, the following code 

        my $ip = new NetAddr::IP::Lite '192.168.1.123';
        print "$ip\n";

Will print the string 192.168.1.123/32. 

        my $ip = new6 NetAddr::IP::Lite '192.168.1.123';
        print "$ip\n";

Will print the string 0:0:0:0:0:0:C0A8:17B/128

Equality
You can test for equality with either "eq", "ne", "==" or "!=". "eq", "ne" allows the comparison with arbitrary strings as well as NetAddr::IP::Lite objects. The following example: 

    if (NetAddr::IP::Lite->new('127.0.0.1','255.0.0.0') eq '127.0.0.1/8')
       { print "Yes\n"; }

Will print out ``Yes''.

Comparison with "==" and "!=" requires both operands to be NetAddr::IP::Lite objects.

Comparison via >, <, >=, <=, <=> and "cmp"
Internally, all network objects are represented in 128 bit format. The numeric representation of the network is compared through the corresponding operation. Comparisons are tried first on the address portion of the object and if that is equal then the NUMERIC cidr portion of the masks are compared. This leads to the counterintuitive result that 

        /24 > /16

Comparison should not be done on netaddr objects with different CIDR as this may produce indeterminate - unexpected results, rather the determination of which netblock is larger or smaller should be done by comparing 

        $ip1->masklen <=> $ip2->masklen
Addition of a constant ("+")
Add a 32 bit signed constant to the address part of a NetAddr object. This operation changes the address part to point so many hosts above the current objects start address. For instance, this code: 

    print NetAddr::IP::Lite->new('127.0.0.1/8') + 5;

will output 127.0.0.6/8. The address will wrap around at the broadcast back to the network address. This code: 

    print NetAddr::IP::Lite->new('10.0.0.1/24') + 255;

outputs 10.0.0.0/24.

Returns the the unchanged object when the constant is missing or out of range. 

    2147483647 <= constant >= -2147483648
Subtraction of a constant ("-")
The complement of the addition of a constant.
Difference ("-")
Returns the difference between the address parts of two NetAddr::IP::Lite objects address parts as a 32 bit signed number.

Returns undef if the difference is out of range.

Auto-increment
Auto-incrementing a NetAddr::IP::Lite object causes the address part to be adjusted to the next host address within the subnet. It will wrap at the broadcast address and start again from the network address.
Auto-decrement
Auto-decrementing a NetAddr::IP::Lite object performs exactly the opposite of auto-incrementing it, as you would expect.

Methods

"->new([$addr, [ $mask|IPv6 ]])"
"->new6([$addr, [ $mask]])"
"->new6FFFF([$addr, [ $mask]])"
"->new_no([$addr, [ $mask]])"
"->new_from_aton($netaddr)"
new_cis and new_cis6 are DEPRECATED
"->new_cis("$addr $mask)"
"->new_cis6("$addr $mask)"
The first three methods create a new address with the supplied address in $addr and an optional netmask $mask, which can be omitted to get a /32 or /128 netmask for IPv4 / IPv6 addresses respectively.

new6FFFF specifically returns an IPv4 address in IPv6 format according to RFC4291 

  new6               ::xxxx:xxxx
  new6FFFF      ::FFFF:xxxx:xxxx

The third method "new_no" is exclusively for IPv4 addresses and filters improperly formatted dot quad strings for leading 0's that would normally be interpreted as octal format by NetAddr per the specifications for inet_aton.

new_from_aton takes a packed IPv4 address and assumes a /32 mask. This function replaces the DEPRECATED :aton functionality which is fundamentally broken.

The last two methods new_cis and new_cis6 differ from new and new6 only in that they except the common Cisco address notation for address/mask pairs with a space as a separator instead of a slash (/)

These methods are DEPRECATED because the functionality is now included in the other ``new'' methods 

  i.e.  ->new_cis('1.2.3.0 24')
        or
        ->new_cis6('::1.2.3.0 120')

"->new6" and "->new_cis6" mark the address as being in ipV6 address space even if the format would suggest otherwise. 

  i.e.  ->new6('1.2.3.4') will result in ::102:304
  addresses submitted to ->new in ipV6 notation will
  remain in that notation permanently. i.e.
        ->new('::1.2.3.4') will result in ::102:304
  whereas new('1.2.3.4') would print out as 1.2.3.4
  See "STRINGIFICATION" below.

$addr can be almost anything that can be resolved to an IP address in all the notations I have seen over time. It can optionally contain the mask in CIDR notation. If the OPTIONAL perl module Socket6 is available in the local library it will autoload and ipV6 host6 names will be resolved as well as ipV4 hostnames.

prefix notation is understood, with the limitation that the range specified by the prefix must match with a valid subnet.

Addresses in the same format returned by "inet_aton" or "gethostbyname" can also be understood, although no mask can be specified for them. The default is to not attempt to recognize this format, as it seems to be seldom used.

###### DEPRECATED, will be remove in version 5 ############ To accept addresses in that format, invoke the module as in 

  use NetAddr::IP::Lite ':aton'

###### USE new_from_aton instead ##########################

If called with no arguments, 'default' is assumed.

If called with an empty string as the argument, returns 'undef'

$addr can be any of the following and possibly more... 

  n.n
  n.n/mm
  n.n mm
  n.n.n
  n.n.n/mm
  n.n.n mm
  n.n.n.n
  n.n.n.n/mm            32 bit cidr notation
  n.n.n.n mm
  n.n.n.n/m.m.m.m
  n.n.n.n m.m.m.m
  loopback, localhost, broadcast, any, default
  x.x.x.x/host
  0xABCDEF, 0b111111000101011110, (or a bcd number)
  a netaddr as returned by 'inet_aton'

Any RFC1884 notation 

  ::n.n.n.n
  ::n.n.n.n/mmm         128 bit cidr notation
  ::n.n.n.n/::m.m.m.m
  ::x:x
  ::x:x/mmm
  x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x
  x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x/mmm
  x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x/m:m:m:m:m:m:m:m any RFC1884 notation
  loopback, localhost, unspecified, any, default
  ::x:x/host
  0xABCDEF, 0b111111000101011110 within the limits
  of perl's number resolution
  123456789012  a 'big' bcd number (bigger than perl likes)
  and Math::BigInt

A Fully Qualified Domain Name which returns an ipV4 address or an ipV6 address, embodied in that order. This previously undocumented feature may be disabled with: 

        use NetAddr::IP::Lite ':nofqdn';

If called with no arguments, 'default' is assumed.

If called with and empty string as the argument, 'undef' is returned;

"->broadcast()"
Returns a new object referring to the broadcast address of a given subnet. The broadcast address has all ones in all the bit positions where the netmask has zero bits. This is normally used to address all the hosts in a given subnet.
"->network()"
Returns a new object referring to the network address of a given subnet. A network address has all zero bits where the bits of the netmask are zero. Normally this is used to refer to a subnet.
"->addr()"
Returns a scalar with the address part of the object as an IPv4 or IPv6 text string as appropriate. This is useful for printing or for passing the address part of the NetAddr::IP::Lite object to other components that expect an IP address. If the object is an ipV6 address or was created using ->new6($ip) it will be reported in ipV6 hex format otherwise it will be reported in dot quad format only if it resides in ipV4 address space.
"->mask()"
Returns a scalar with the mask as an IPv4 or IPv6 text string as described above.
"->masklen()"
Returns a scalar the number of one bits in the mask.
"->bits()"
Returns the width of the address in bits. Normally 32 for v4 and 128 for v6.
"->version()"
Returns the version of the address or subnet. Currently this can be either 4 or 6.
"->cidr()"
Returns a scalar with the address and mask in CIDR notation. A NetAddr::IP::Lite object stringifies to the result of this function. (see comments about ->new6() and ->addr() for output formats)
"->aton()"
Returns the address part of the NetAddr::IP::Lite object in the same format as the "inet_aton()" or "ipv6_aton" function respectively. If the object was created using ->new6($ip), the address returned will always be in ipV6 format, even for addresses in ipV4 address space.
"->range()"
Returns a scalar with the base address and the broadcast address separated by a dash and spaces. This is called range notation.
"->numeric()"
When called in a scalar context, will return a numeric representation of the address part of the IP address. When called in an array context, it returns a list of two elements. The first element is as described, the second element is the numeric representation of the netmask.

This method is essential for serializing the representation of a subnet.

"->bigint()"
When called in a scalar context, will return a Math::BigInt representation of the address part of the IP address. When called in an array contest, it returns a list of two elements. The first element is as described, the second element is the Math::BigInt representation of the netmask.
"$me->contains($other)"
Returns true when $me completely contains $other. False is returned otherwise and "undef" is returned if $me and $other are not both "NetAddr::IP::Lite" objects.
"$me->within($other)"
The complement of "->contains()". Returns true when $me is completely contained within $other, undef if $me and $other are not both "NetAddr::IP::Lite" objects.
C->is_rfc1918()>
Returns true when $me is an RFC 1918 address. 

     10.0.0.0        -   10.255.255.255  (10/8 prefix)
     172.16.0.0      -   172.31.255.255  (172.16/12 prefix)
     192.168.0.0     -   192.168.255.255 (192.168/16 prefix)
"->is_local()"
Returns true when $me is a local network address. 

        i.e.    ipV4    127.0.0.0 - 127.255.255.255
  or            ipV6    === ::1
"->first()"
Returns a new object representing the first usable IP address within the subnet (ie, the first host address).
"->last()"
Returns a new object representing the last usable IP address within the subnet (ie, one less than the broadcast address).
"->nth($index)"
Returns a new object representing the n-th usable IP address within the subnet (ie, the n-th host address). If no address is available (for example, when the network is too small for $index hosts), "undef" is returned.

Version 4.00 of NetAddr::IP and version 1.00 of NetAddr::IP::Lite implements "->nth($index)" and "->num()" exactly as the documentation states. Previous versions behaved slightly differently and not in a consistent manner.

To use the old behavior for "->nth($index)" and "->num()": 

  use NetAddr::IP::Lite qw(:old_nth);
  old behavior:
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/32')->nth(0) == undef
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/32')->nth(1) == undef
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/31')->nth(0) == undef
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/31')->nth(1) == 10.0.0.1/31
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(0) == undef
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(1) == 10.0.0.1/30
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(2) == 10.0.0.2/30
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(3) == 10.0.0.3/30

Note that in each case, the broadcast address is represented in the output set and that the 'zero'th index is alway undef except for a point-to-point /31 or /127 network where there are exactly two addresses in the network. 

  new behavior:
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/32')->nth(0)  == 10.0.0.0/32
  NetAddr::IP->new('10.1/32'->nth(0) == 10.0.0.1/32
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/31')->nth(0)  == 10.0.0.0/32
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/31')->nth(1)  == 10.0.0.1/32
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(0) == 10.0.0.1/30
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(1) == 10.0.0.2/30
  NetAddr::IP->new('10/30')->nth(2) == undef

Note that a /32 net always has 1 usable address while a /31 has exactly two usable addresses for point-to-point addressing. The first index (0) returns the address immediately following the network address except for a /31 or /127 when it return the network address.

"->num()"
As of version 4.42 of NetAddr::IP and version 1.27 of NetAddr::IP::Lite a /31 and /127 with return a net num value of 2 instead of 0 (zero) for point-to-point networks.

Version 4.00 of NetAddr::IP and version 1.00 of NetAddr::IP::Lite return the number of usable IP addresses within the subnet, not counting the broadcast or network address.

Previous versions worked only for ipV4 addresses, returned a maximum span of 2**32 and returned the number of IP addresses not counting the broadcast address.         (one greater than the new behavior)

To use the old behavior for "->nth($index)" and "->num()": 

  use NetAddr::IP::Lite qw(:old_nth);

WARNING:

NetAddr::IP will calculate and return a numeric string for network ranges as large as 2**128. These values are TEXT strings and perl can treat them as integers for numeric calculations.

Perl on 32 bit platforms only handles integer numbers up to 2**32 and on 64 bit platforms to 2**64.

If you wish to manipulate numeric strings returned by NetAddr::IP that are larger than 2**32 or 2**64, respectively, you must load additional modules such as Math::BigInt, bignum or some similar package to do the integer math.

EXPORT_OK

        Zeros
        Ones
        V4mask
        V4net
        :aton           DEPRECATED
        :old_nth
        :upper
        :lower
        :nofqdn

AUTHORS

Luis E. Muñoz <[email protected]>, Michael Robinton <[email protected]>

WARRANTY

This software comes with the same warranty as perl itself (ie, none), so by using it you accept any and all the liability.

COPYRIGHT

 This software is (c) Luis E. Muñoz, 1999 - 2005
 and (c) Michael Robinton, 2006 - 2014.

All rights reserved.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either: 

  a) the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
  Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any
  later version, or
  b) the "Artistic License" which comes with this distribution.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See either the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the Artistic License with this distribution, in the file named ``Artistic''. If not, I'll be glad to provide one.

You should also have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program in the file named ``Copying''. If not, write to the 

        Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
        51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
        Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

or visit their web page on the internet at: 

        http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html.

SEE ALSO

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