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When I try to use scp over IPv6 addresses I get this:

scp -6 osis@::1:/home/osis/test.file ./test.file
ssh: Could not resolve hostname : Name or service not known

With scp all I ever get is 

ssh: Could not resolve hostname : Name or service not known

using this I get a login into my box without a hitch

ssh osis@::1
rubo77
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Osis
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2 Answers2

55

scp requires some special syntax. The IPv6 address must be enclosed in brackets, which must then be escaped. So in your example it would look like this:

scp -6 osis@\[2001:db8:0:1\]:/home/osis/test.file ./test.file

Otherwise the first colon ':' is thought to be the separator between the file and the address parts which would result in 

ssh: Could not resolve hostname 2001: Address family for hostname not supported

In your example with the ip ::1 it is interpreted as if you want to ssh to the host '' (blank).

rubo77
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Martin Owens -doctormo-
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  • thank you for your answer, this info was somehow missing from man scp;man ssh – Osis Nov 22 '10 at 14:24
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    Consider submitting an updated man page, then you can say: I helped. – Martin Owens -doctormo- Nov 22 '10 at 17:26
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    When using the -6 flag, you can just type localhost instead of ::1 (which is the IPv6 Address for localhost) to avoid the brackets and therefore any need to escape something on the shell: `scp -6 osis@localhost:/home/osis/test.file ./test.file` – freddyb Apr 30 '11 at 16:22
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    You are not supposed to use IPv6 addresses, you are supposed to use DNS names. – Anders Feb 19 '19 at 17:08
  • Note brackets work only with `scp`, not with `ssh`. Closed as WONTFIX: https://bugzilla.mindrot.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1602 – MarcH May 15 '20 at 23:12
1

The above command didn't work for me, the error I got was due to v6 address was allowed taking for path.

No need to use back slash "\" . As per the above example below command will work.

scp -6 osis@[2001:db8:0:1]:/home/osis/test.file ./test.file
singrium
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Jobin
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