diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/src')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml | 36 |
1 files changed, 26 insertions, 10 deletions
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml index 0b969eaa22e..d05c93058a0 100644 --- a/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml +++ b/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml,v 1.228 2008/09/11 15:27:30 tgl Exp $ --> +<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml,v 1.229 2008/10/03 15:37:18 petere Exp $ --> <chapter id="datatype"> <title id="datatype-title">Data Types</title> @@ -3187,23 +3187,39 @@ SELECT person.name, holidays.num_weeks FROM person, holidays </indexterm> <para> - The <type>macaddr</> type stores MAC addresses, i.e., Ethernet - card hardware addresses (although MAC addresses are used for - other purposes as well). Input is accepted in various customary - formats, including + The <type>macaddr</> type stores MAC addresses, known for example + from Ethernet card hardware addresses (although MAC addresses are + used for other purposes as well). Input is accepted in the + following formats: <simplelist> + <member><literal>'08:00:2b:01:02:03'</></member> + <member><literal>'08-00-2b-01-02-03'</></member> <member><literal>'08002b:010203'</></member> <member><literal>'08002b-010203'</></member> <member><literal>'0800.2b01.0203'</></member> - <member><literal>'08-00-2b-01-02-03'</></member> - <member><literal>'08:00:2b:01:02:03'</></member> + <member><literal>'08002b010203'</></member> </simplelist> - which would all specify the same - address. Upper and lower case is accepted for the digits + These examples would all specify the same address. Upper and + lower case is accepted for the digits <literal>a</> through <literal>f</>. Output is always in the - last of the forms shown. + first of the forms shown. + </para> + + <para> + IEEE Std 802-2001 specifies the second shown form (with hyphens) + as the canonical form for MAC addresses, and specifies the first + form (with colons) as the bit-reversed notation, so that + 08-00-2b-01-02-03 = 01:00:4D:08:04:0C. This convention is widely + ignored nowadays, and it is only relevant for obsolete network + protocols (such as Token Ring). PostgreSQL makes no provisions + for bit reversal, and all accepted formats use the canonical LSB + order. + </para> + + <para> + The remaining four input formats are not part of any standard. </para> </sect2> |