IP address field type

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of IP address field type

    The IP Address field type in ServiceNow Yokohama release is designed to store validated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. It supports standard dot-decimal notation for IPv4 and hexadecimal notation for IPv6, including the use of canonical notation to compress zeros in IPv6 addresses following IETF RFC5952 guidelines.

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    Key Features

    • Validation: Only valid IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are accepted, ensuring data integrity.
    • Storage format: IP addresses are stored as VARCHAR fields with a length of 40 characters, typically in canonical notation for consistency.
    • Automatic normalization: IPv6 addresses entered in non-canonical formats are converted to canonical format unless overridden by a specific attribute.
    • Data migration support: Facilitates migration from string fields to the IP Address field type, with validation and formatting applied according to defined attributes.
    • Configurable normalization via the ipdatacontrol attribute:
      • canonical: Validates and stores addresses in canonical form, rejecting invalid entries.
      • canonicalizewhenpossible (default): Valid addresses are canonicalized; invalid addresses are stored as-is.
      • expanded: Valid addresses are stored in expanded form for efficient range queries; invalid addresses are rejected.
      • none: No validation or normalization, effectively treating the field as a plain string (used only for emergencies).

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Ensures accurate and standardized storage of IP addresses, improving data quality and consistency across your instance.
    • Simplifies IP address handling by automatically normalizing inputs, reducing manual formatting errors.
    • Supports both IPv4 and IPv6, enabling comprehensive IP address management.
    • Provides flexibility in how IP data is validated and stored, allowing alignment with your organizational policies and database query needs.
    • Facilitates smooth transition from legacy string fields to the new IP Address field type without data loss or corruption.

    The IP Address (Validated IPV4, IPV6) [ip_addr] field type stores valid IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

    Support for IPv4 and IPv6

    Standard dot-decimal notation is supported for IPv4 and standard hex notation is supported for IPv6. For IPv6, you can use canonical notation to compress zeros. Familiarize yourself with IETF RFC5952 for examples and guidelines on text representation for IPv6 addresses.

    The following are examples of valid IP addresses:
    • A standard IPv4 address in dot-decimal notation:

      10.34.51.20

    • An expanded IPv4 address would be zero padded:

      10.1.10.210 would be represented as 010.001.010.210

    • An IPv6 address in fully expanded notation:

      1507:f0d0:1002:0051:0000:0000:0000:0004

    • The same IPv6 address above using the canonical notation:

      1507:f0d0:1002:51::4

    How IP addresses are stored in the database

    The IP address ip_addr field is a Variable Character (VARCHAR) field with a length of 40 characters. The values are normally stored in standard (dot-decimal or canonical) notation for both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses regardless of the notation you use when you input values in the field.

    For example, if you enter an IPv6 address in a non-canonical format (expanded or any other valid formats per IETF RFC5952), by default, the system will store it in canonical format unless an IP Data Control attribute value is defined on that column with a different address format. See the [ip_data_control] glide attribute section in Altering tables and fields using dictionary attributes for more details.

    Support for data migration

    Provide support in migrating IP addresses stored as string fields to the new IP Address(Validated IPV4,IPV6) type. The new IP address type accepts only a valid IP address. The existing data is formatted according to the ip_data_control attribute. The ip_data_control attriute can be set to exactly one of the following four values:
    • canonical: Incoming IP addresses are validated and canonicalized before they are entered in the database. Invalid IP addresses are rejected.
    • canonicalize_when_possible: Valid IP addresses are canonicalized before before being entered in to the database. Invalid IP addresses are also entered in to the database without being changed.
      Note:
      canonicalize_when_possible is the default value for the ip_data_control attribute, unless it's otherwise specified.
    • expanded: The IP addresses are validated and stored in an expanded form to support efficient database range queries. Invalid IP addresses are rejected.
    • none: No validation or normalization is performed in this value type. It is used only as an emergency mechanism as it essentially reverts this type to a plain string field.