List of Data Types

The server support a wide range of data types, both in unlang and in the dictionaries. This page outlines the names and functionality of those data types.

Basic Data Types

There are a number of "basic" data types. These data types are fixed-size, and encapsulate simple concepts such as "integer" or "IP address".

Basic data types can be used in unlang, as they contain simple values which can be compared, or assigned to one attribute. In most cases, it is not necessary to know the name of the data type. It is possible to write values in the format you expect, The server will do "the right thing" when interpreting the values.

Table 1. Basic Data Types
Data Type	Description
bool	boolean
date	calendar date
ethernet	Ethernet address
float32	32-bit floating point number
float64	64-bit floating point number
ifid	interface ID
int8	8-bit signed integer
int16	16-bit signed integer
int32	32-bit signed integer
int64	64-bit signed integer
ipaddr	IPv4 address
ipv6addr	IPv6 address
ipv4prefix	IPv4 network with address and prefix length
ipv6prefix	IPv6 network with address and prefix length
octets	raw binary, printed as hex strings
string	printable strings
time_delta	difference between two calendar dates
uint8	8-bit unsigned integer
uint16	16-bit unsigned integer
uint32	32-bit unsigned integer
uint64	64-bit unsigned integer

Structural Data Types

The following data types are "structural", in that they form parent-child relationships between attributes. These data types can only be used in the dictionaries. They cannot be used in unlang statements.

Table 2. Structural Data Types
Data Type	Description
struct	structure which contains fixed-width fields
tlv	type-length-value which contains other attributes
vsa	Encapsulation of vendor-specific attributes

Protocol-Specific Data Types

The following data types are used only in certain protocols. These data types can be used only in the dictionaries. They cannot be used in unlang statements.

Table 3. Protocol Specific Data Types
Data Type	Protocol	Description
abinary	RADIUS	Ascend binary filters
extended	RADIUS	attributes which "extend" the number space