Class InterfaceAddress

java.lang.Object
java.net.InterfaceAddress
public final class InterfaceAddress extends Object
This class represents a Network Interface address. In the case of IPv4, this comprises the IP address, a subnet mask, and a broadcast address if the interface supports broadcast. In the case of IPv6, it comprises the IP address and a network prefix length.
Since:
1.6
See Also:

  • Method Details

    • getAddress

      public InetAddress getAddress()
      Returns an InetAddress for this address.
      Returns:
      the InetAddress for this address.

    • getBroadcast

      public InetAddress getBroadcast()
      Returns an InetAddress for the broadcast address for this InterfaceAddress.

      Only IPv4 networks have broadcast address therefore, in the case of an IPv6 network, null will be returned.

      Certain network interfaces, such as the loopback interface, do not support broadcasting and will also return null.

      Returns:
      the InetAddress representing the broadcast address or null if there is no broadcast address.

    • getNetworkPrefixLength

      public short getNetworkPrefixLength()
      Returns the network prefix length for this address. This is also known as the subnet mask in the context of IPv4 addresses. Typical IPv4 values would be 8 (255.0.0.0), 16 (255.255.0.0) or 24 (255.255.255.0).

      Typical IPv6 values would be 128 (::1/128) or 10 (fe80::203:baff:fe27:1243/10)

      Returns:
      a short representing the prefix length for the subnet of that address.

    • equals

      public boolean equals(Object obj)
      Compares this object against the specified object. The result is true if and only if the argument is not null and it represents the same interface address as this object.

      Two instances of InterfaceAddress represent the same address if the InetAddress, the prefix length and the broadcast are the same for both.

      Overrides:
      equals in class Object
      Parameters:
      obj - the object to compare against.
      Returns:
      true if the objects are the same; false otherwise.
      See Also:

    • hashCode

      public int hashCode()
      Returns a hashcode for this Interface address.
      Overrides:
      hashCode in class Object
      Returns:
      a hash code value for this Interface address.
      See Also:

    • toString

      public String toString()
      Converts this Interface address to a String. The string returned is of the form: InetAddress / prefix length [ broadcast address ].
      Overrides:
      toString in class Object
      Returns:
      a string representation of this Interface address.