Some IP addresses and some patterns of addresses have special meanings. For instance, I’ve already mentioned that 127.0.0.1 is the local loopback address. IPv4 addresses in the range 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 are multicast addresses that send to several subscribed hosts at once. Java includes 10 methods for testing whether an InetAddress object meets any of these criteria:

public boolean isAnyLocalAddress()
public boolean isLoopbackAddress()
public boolean isLinkLocalAddress()
public boolean isSiteLocalAddress()
public boolean isMulticastAddress()
public boolean isMCGlobal()
public boolean isMCNodeLocal()
public boolean isMCLinkLocal()
public boolean isMCSiteLocal()
public boolean isMCOrgLocal()

public boolean isAnyLocalAddress()

The isAnyLocalAddress() method returns true if the address is a wildcard address, false otherwise. A wildcard address matches any address of the local system. This is important if the system has multiple network interfaces, as might be the case on a system with multiple Ethernet cards or an Ethernet card and an 802.11 WiFi interface. In IPv4, the wildcard address is 0.0.0.0. In IPv6, this address is 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 (a.k.a. ::).

public boolean isLoopbackAddress()

The isLoopbackAddress() method returns true if the address is the loopback address, false otherwise. The loopback address connects to the same computer directly in the IP layer without using any physical hardware. Thus, connecting to the loopback address enables tests to bypass potentially buggy or nonexistent Ethernet, PPP, and other drivers, helping to isolate problems. Connecting to the loopback address is not the same as connecting to the system’s normal IP address from the same system. In IPv4, this address is 127.0.0.1. In IPv6, this address is 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 (a.k.a. ::1).

public boolean isLinkLocalAddress()

The isLinkLocalAddress() method returns true if the address is an IPv6 link-local address, false otherwise. This is an address used to help IPv6 networks self-configure, much like DHCP on IPv4 networks but without necessarily using a server. Routers do not forward packets addressed to a link-local address beyond the local subnet. All linklocal addresses begin with the eight bytes FE80:0000:0000:0000. The next eight bytes are filled with a local address, often copied from the Ethernet MAC address assigned by the Ethernet card manufacturer.

public boolean isSiteLocalAddress()

The isSiteLocalAddress() method returns true if the address is an IPv6 site-local address, false otherwise. Site-local addresses are similar to link-local addresses except that they may be forwarded by routers within a site or campus but should not be forwarded beyond that site. Site-local addresses begin with the eight bytes FEC0:0000:0000:0000. The next eight bytes are filled with a local address, often copied from the Ethernet MAC address assigned by the Ethernet card manufacturer.

public boolean isMulticastAddress()

The isMulticastAddress() method returns true if the address is a multicast address, false otherwise. Multicasting broadcasts content to all subscribed computers rather than to one particular computer. In IPv4, multicast addresses all fall in the range 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. In IPv6, they all begin with byte FF.

public boolean isMCGlobal()

The isMCGlobal() method returns true if the address is a global multicast address, false otherwise. A global multicast address may have subscribers around the world. All multicast addresses begin with FF. In IPv6, global multicast addresses begin with FF0E or FF1E depending on whether the multicast address is a well known permanently assigned address or a transient address. In IPv4, all multicast addresses have global scope, at least as far as this method is concerned.

public boolean isMCNodeLocal()

The isMCNodeLocal() method returns true if the address is an interface-local multicast address, false otherwise. Packets addressed to an interface-local address are not sent beyond the network interface from which they originate, not even to a different network interface on the same node. This is primarily useful for network debugging and testing. Interface-local multicast addresses begin with the two bytes FF01 or FF11, depending on whether the multicast address is a well known permanently assigned address or a transient address

public boolean isMCLinkLocal()

The isMCLinkLocal() method returns true if the address is a subnet-wide multicast address, false otherwise. Packets addressed to a link-local address will only be transmitted within their own subnet. Link-local multicast addresses begin with FF02 or FF12, depending on whether the multicast address is a well known permanently assigned address or a transient address.

public boolean isMCSiteLocal()

The isMCSiteLocal() method returns true if the address is a site-wide multicast address, false otherwise. Packets addressed to a site-wide address will only be transmitted within their local site. Sitewide multicast addresses begin with FF05 or FF15, depending on whether the multicast address is a well known permanently assigned address or a transient address

public boolean isMCOrgLocal()

The isMCOrgLocal() method returns true if the address is an organization-wide multicast address, false otherwise. An organization-wide multicast address may have subscribers within all the sites of a company or organization, but not outside that organization. Organization multicast addresses begin with FF08 or FF18, depending on whether the multicast address is a well known permanently assigned address or a transient address.

Program

import java.net.InetAddress;
import java.net.UnknownHostException;

public class IPCharacteristics {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            InetAddress address = InetAddress.getByName(args[0]);
            if (address.isAnyLocalAddress()) {
                System.out.println(address + " is a wildcard address.");
            }
            if (address.isLoopbackAddress()) {
                System.out.println(address + " is loopback address.");
            }
            if (address.isLinkLocalAddress()) {
                System.out.println(address + " is a link-local address.");
            } else if (address.isSiteLocalAddress()) {
                System.out.println(address + " is a site-local address.");
            } else {
                System.out.println(address + " is a global address.");
            }
            if (address.isMulticastAddress()) {
                if (address.isMCGlobal()) {
                    System.out.println(address + " is a global multicast address.");
                } else if (address.isMCOrgLocal()) {
                    System.out.println(address
                            + " is an organization wide multicast address.");
                } else if (address.isMCSiteLocal()) {
                    System.out.println(address + " is a site wide multicast address.");
                } else if (address.isMCLinkLocal()) {
                    System.out.println(address + " is a subnet wide multicast address.");
                } else if (address.isMCNodeLocal()) {
                    System.out.println(address
                            + " is an interface-local multicast address.");
                } else {
                    System.out.println(address + " is an unknown multicast address type.");
                }
            } else {
                System.out.println(address + " is a unicast address.");
            }
        } catch (UnknownHostException ex) {
            System.err.println("Could not resolve " + args[0]);
        }
    }
}

Output