Connecting to MySQL (on Google Cloud SQL) via JDBC and IPv6?

Question

I would like to connect to Google Cloud SQL from an external application using JDBC and the instance's IPv6 address as shown on my Google Developers Console (here obfuscated):

String url      = "jdbc:mysql://abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd";
String user     = "root";
String password = "<also_obfuscated>";

connection = DriverManager.getConnection(url, user, password);

This leads to the following exception:

com.mysql.jdbc.exceptions.jdbc4.MySQLNonTransientConnectionException: 
Cannot load connection class because of underlying exception: 
'java.lang.NumberFormatException: 
For input string: "abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd"'.

I am using the latest JDBC driver for MySQL. Connection via JDBC and IPv4 works but requires an extra configuration step and incurs (small) extra cost.

So is it even possible to connect to MySQL via JDBC and IPv6 and if so how?

UPDATE According to the documentation, this URL should work for IPv6:

jdbc:mysql://address=(protocol=tcp)(host=abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd)(port=3306)

However, now I'm getting the following exception:

com.mysql.jdbc.exceptions.jdbc4.CommunicationsException: 
Communications link failure
The last packet sent successfully to the server was 0 milliseconds ago. 
The driver has not received any packets from the server.

Besides the JDBC driver supporting IPv6 (which it does, according to the documentation), and the client OS supporting IPv6 (which mine should as it is OS X Yosemite), and the server OS supporting IPv6 (which the Google Cloud does because it reports an IPv6 server address) what other pieces need to be in place in order for IPv6 client-server connections to work?

E.g. does my ISP have to provide any particular support?

Answer 1

You need to register the IPV6 address from which you'll be coming into Google Cloud SQL, among the authorized addresses on the Cloud SQL console.

You can check that IPv6 address e.g by visiting sites such as whatismyv6.com .

Then, all your ISP has to do is to provide a stable IPV6 address (alas, even to these days, not all do -- alas, AT&T Uverse, my ISP at home, does not, for example).

Even from locations where I could reliably get a stable IPv6 address, I had exactly the same problem, originally -- until it dawned on me that, if I'm coming in with an IPv6 address and what I've authorized is an IPv4 one, Google Cloud SQL cannot "translate" one into the other to find out I'm in fact authorized!-)

Answer 2

Note that if you don't have and can't get an IPv6 address from which to connect (e.g. connecting from a home machine through an ISP that does not yet support IPv6) then you can hit the "Request IPv4 address" button under Google Developers Console / Storage / Cloud SQL / [Your Intance] / Access Control / IP Address and you will get one assigned (within a few seconds) which will cost $0.01 per hour, paid from your free $300 of credit if you still have that credit available. Once you move your app to, for example, one of Google's app servers, you will no doubt be able to get an IPv6 address. Release the IPv4 address when unused to save credit.

Answer 3

Try

String url = "jdbc:mysql://[abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd]";

In URLs literal IPv6 addresses have to be surrounded by [] so that the parser can see the difference between parts of the address and the optional port number which is also separated by a :.

It is often easier to use hostnames instead of literal IP addresses. It stays independent of the used IP protocol and changing addresses is easier as well.