IPV6_MREQ structure (ws2ipdef.h)
The ipv6_mreq structure provides multicast group information for IPv6 addresses.
Syntax
typedef struct ipv6_mreq {
IN6_ADDR ipv6mr_multiaddr;
ULONG ipv6mr_interface;
} IPV6_MREQ, *PIPV6_MREQ;
Members
ipv6mr_multiaddr
The address of the IPv6 multicast group.
ipv6mr_interface
The interface index of the local interface on which the multicast group should be joined or dropped. If this member specifies an interface index of 0, the default multicast interface is used.
Remarks
The ipv6_mreq structure is used with IPv6 addresses. The ipv6_mreq structure is used with the IPV6_ADD_MEMBERSHIP, IPV6_DROP_MEMBERSHIP, IPV6_JOIN_GROUP, and IPV6_LEAVE_GROUP socket options. The IPV6_JOIN_GROUP and IPV6_ADD_MEMBERSHIP socket options are defined to be the same. The IPV6_LEAVE_GROUP and IPV6_DROP_MEMBERSHIP socket options are defined to be the same.
On Windows Vista and later, a set of socket options are available for multicast programming that support IPv6 and IPv4 addresses. These socket options are IP agnostic and can be used on both IPv6 and IPv4. These IP agnostic options use the GROUP_REQ and the GROUP_SOURCE_REQ structures and are the preferred socket options for multicast programming on Windows Vista and later.
The ipv6_mreq structure is the IPv6 equivalent of the IPv4-based ip_mreq structure.
The GetAdaptersAddresses function can be used to obtain interface index information required for the ipv6mr_interface member.
The ipv6_mreq structure and the IPPROTO_IPV6 level socket options that use this structure are only valid on datagram and raw sockets (the socket type must be SOCK_DGRAM or SOCK_RAW).
It is recommended that a local IPv6 interface index always be specified in the ipv6mr_interface member of the ipv6_mreq structure, rather than use the default interface. This is particularly important on computers with multiple network interfaces and multiple public IPv6 addresses.
The default interface used for IPv6 multicast is determined by the networking stack in Windows. On Windows Vista and later, an application can determine the default interface used for IPv6 multicast using the GetIpForwardTable2 function to retrieve the IPv6 routing table. The network interface with the lowest value for the routing metric for a destination IPv6 multicast address (the FF00::/8 IPv6 address block) is the default interface for IPv6 multicast. The routing table can also be displayed from the command prompt with the following command:
route print
The IPV6_MULTICAST_IF socket option can be used to set the default interface to send IPv6 multicast packets. This socket option does not change the default interface used to receive IPv6 multicast packets.
A typical IPv6 multicast application would use the IPV6_ADD_MEMBERSHIP or IPV6_JOIN_GROUP socket option with the ipv6_mreq structure to join a multicast group and listen for multicast packets on a specific interface. The IPV6_MULTICAST_IF socket option would be used to set the interface to send IPv6 multicast packets to the multicast group. The most common scenario would be a multicast application that listens and sends on the same interface for a multicast group. Multiple sockets might be used by a multicast application with one socket for listening and one or more sockets for sending.
On the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) released for Windows Vista and later, the organization of header files has changed and the ipv6_mreq structure is defined in the Ws2ipdef.h header file which is automatically included in the Ws2tcpip.h header file. The Ws2ipdef.h header files should never be used directly.
Requirements
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum supported client | Windows XP [desktop apps only] |
| Minimum supported server | Windows Server 2003 [desktop apps only] |
| Header | ws2ipdef.h (include Ws2tcpip.h) |