# SSH to literal IPv6 address **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [February 7, 2017, 9:38am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659 "2017-02-07T09:38:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 9:38am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/1 "2017-02-07T09:38:52Z")
Hi I'm trying to set up a quick test host and have added this entry in my ~/.ssh/config: # Test host Host imapsync   Hostname 2001:610:148:f00d:20c:29ff:fe14:ccfe Just issuing "ssh imapsync" works fine. I have this corresponding in my ansible inventory: # test host imapsync But when I try to run "ansible imapsync -m setup", I get: "SSH Error: data could not be sent to the remote host. Make sure this host can be reached over ssh". It turns out that the literal IPv6 address is the culprit. If I enable IPv4 on the host and change the ssh config to: # Test host Host imapsync   Hostname 192.87.38.66 Then things work. Is there another way of specifying a literal IPv6 address. PS I also tested using DNS by adding the name to /etc/hosts, and that seems to work as well. But the whole point of having ssh config's "Hostname" and ansible's inventory is to no use DNS. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Johannes\_Kastl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Johannes\_Kastl](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Johannes_Kastl)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 10:24am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/2 "2017-02-07T10:24:17Z")
I thought ssh needed IPv6 addresses in square brackets (to avoid confusion with ports added as suffix)? Host imapsync    Hostname [2001:610:148:f00d:20c:29ff:fe14:ccfe] Johannes ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 11:23am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/3 "2017-02-07T11:23:38Z")
Nope that doesn't work, neither in .ss/config nor on the command line. You need the Port option, or -p on the command line. The bracket notation isn't used by OpenSSH. I know that for web browsers the brackets are mandatory when using IPv6 literals. ---
**Author:** ![Johannes\_Kastl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Johannes\_Kastl](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Johannes_Kastl)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/4 "2017-02-07T11:34:29Z")
As a workaround, what happens if you append the port? Host imapsync     Hostname [2001:610:148:f00d:20c:29ff:fe14:ccfe]:22 This should be valid ssh syntax, at least I have some of those in my config or known\_hosts. Johannes ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/5 "2017-02-07T12:13:04Z")
It doesn't work here: ~$ ssh imapsync ssh: Could not resolve hostname [2001:610:148:f00d:20c:29ff:fe14:ccfe]:22: nodename nor servname provided, or not known This is on MacOS using OpenSSH\_7.3p1, LibreSSL 2.4.1. But I just tried on an Ubuntu box (OpenSSH\_7.2p2 Ubuntu-4ubuntu2.1, OpenSSL 1.0.2g 1 Mar 2016) and the same result there. Not a show stopper but I'd like to avoid using scarce IPv4 addresses. Dick ---
**Author:** ![Johannes\_Kastl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Johannes\_Kastl](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Johannes_Kastl)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/6 "2017-02-07T12:21:14Z")
Sorry, my mistake, those were not in Hostname declarations. I do not have a ipv6 host handy, so I can't test... Johannes ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/7 "2017-02-07T18:27:43Z")
Just for fun I tested this, it work for me. I'm running Ansible 2.1.2 at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-to-literal-ipv6-address/23659/8 "2017-02-07T19:21:48Z")
Just check the output of -vvvvv and ran the same command in a shell: dick.visser@MacBookAir-DIck:~$ ssh -C -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=60s -o KbdInteractiveAuthentication=no -o PreferredAuthentications=gssapi-with-mic,gssapi-keyex,hostbased,publickey -o PasswordAuthentication=no -o ConnectTimeout=20 -o ControlPath=/Users/dick.visser/.ansible/cp/ansible-ssh-%h-%p-%r imapsync unix\_listener: "/Users/dick.visser/.ansible/cp/ansible-ssh-2001:610:148:f00d:20c:29ff:fe14:ccfe-22-visser.yQ7UwntkXwvGTUmk" too long for Unix domain socket After using the hint from [http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/intro\_configuration.html#control-path](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/intro_configuration.html#control-path) things started working. Dick