.\" $Id: bitncmp.mdoc,v 1.1.1.1 2003/01/10 00:48:15 bbraun Exp $ .\" .\"Copyright (c) 1996,1999 by Internet Software Consortium. .\" .\"Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any .\"purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above .\"copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies. .\" .\"THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND INTERNET SOFTWARE CONSORTIUM DISCLAIMS .\"ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES .\"OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL INTERNET SOFTWARE .\"CONSORTIUM BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL .\"DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR .\"PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS .\"ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS .\"SOFTWARE. .\" .Dd June 1, 1996 .Dt BITNCMP 3 .Os BSD 4 .Sh NAME .Nm bitncmp .Nd compare bit masks .Sh SYNOPSIS .Ft int .Fn bitncmp "const void *l" "const void *r" "int n" .Sh DESCRIPTION The function .Fn bitncmp compares the .Dq Fa n most-significant bits of the two masks pointed to by .Dq Fa l and .Dq Fa r , and returns an integer less than, equal to, or greater than 0, according to whether or not .Dq Fa l is lexicographically less than, equal to, or greater than .Dq Fa r when taken to be unsigned characters (this behaviour is just like that of .Xr memcmp 3 ) . .Pp .Sy NOTE : .Fn Bitncmp assumes .Sy network byte order ; this means that the fourth octet of .Li 192.5.5.240/28 .Li 0x11110000 . .Sh RETURN VALUES .Fn Bitncmp returns values in the manner of .Xr memcmp 3 : .Bd -ragged -offset indent +1 if .Dq Fa 1 is greater than .Dq Fa r ; .Pp -1 if .Dq Fa l is less than .Dq Fa r ; and .Pp 0 if .Dq Fa l is equal to .Dq Fa r , .Ed .Pp where .Dq Fa l and .Dq Fa r are both interpreted as strings of unsigned characters (through bit .Dq Fa n . ) .Sh SEE ALSO .Xr memcmp 3 . .Sh AUTHOR Paul Vixie (ISC).