diff --git a/vrrp_ip4.c b/vrrp_ip4.c
index 9a454d6..50028d9 100644
--- a/vrrp_ip4.c
+++ b/vrrp_ip4.c
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ static int vrrp_ip4_mgroup(struct vrrp_net *vnet)
  * Return 0 if the list is the same,
  * the number of different VIP else
  */
-static int vrrp_ip4_cmp(struct vrrp_net *vnet, struct vrrphdr *vrrpkt)
+static int vrrp_ip4_viplist_cmp(struct vrrp_net *vnet, struct vrrphdr *vrrpkt)
 {
 	/* compare IP address(es) */
 	uint32_t *vip_addr =
@@ -222,6 +222,30 @@ static uint16_t vrrp_ip4_chksum(const struct vrrp_net *vnet,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * vrrp_ip4_ntop() - network to string representation
+ */
+static const char *vrrp_ip4_ntop(union vrrp_ipx_addr *ipx, char *dst)
+{
+	return inet_ntop(AF_INET, &ipx->addr, dst, INET_ADDRSTRLEN);
+}
+
+/**
+ * vrrp_ip4_pton() - string representation to network
+ */
+static int vrrp_ip4_pton(union vrrp_ipx_addr *dst, const char *src)
+{
+	return inet_pton(AF_INET, src, &dst->addr);
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * vrrp_ip4_cmp() - compare two vipx
+ */
+int vrrp_ip4_cmp(union vrrp_ipx_addr *s1, union vrrp_ipx_addr *s2)
+{
+	return ntohl(s1->addr.s_addr) - ntohl(s2->addr.s_addr);
+}
 
 /**
  * vrrp_ip4_setsockopt() - no need to setsockopt() in IPv4
@@ -238,8 +262,11 @@ struct vrrp_ipx VRRP_IP4 = {
 	.family = AF_INET,
 	.setsockopt = vrrp_ip4_setsockopt,
 	.mgroup = vrrp_ip4_mgroup,
-	.cmp = vrrp_ip4_cmp,
 	.recv = vrrp_ip4_recv,
+	.cmp = vrrp_ip4_cmp,
 	.chksum = vrrp_ip4_chksum,
+	.viplist_cmp = vrrp_ip4_viplist_cmp,
 	.getsize = vrrp_ip4_getsize,
+	.ipx_pton = vrrp_ip4_pton,
+	.ipx_ntop = vrrp_ip4_ntop,
 };
diff --git a/vrrp_ip6.c b/vrrp_ip6.c
index 03de274..22c1dfd 100644
--- a/vrrp_ip6.c
+++ b/vrrp_ip6.c
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static int vrrp_ip6_mgroup(struct vrrp_net *vnet)
  * Return 0 if the list is the same,
  * the number of differente VIP else
  */
-static int vrrp_ip6_cmp(struct vrrp_net *vnet, struct vrrphdr *vrrpkt)
+static int vrrp_ip6_viplist_cmp(struct vrrp_net *vnet, struct vrrphdr *vrrpkt)
 {
 	uint32_t *vip_addr =
 	    (uint32_t *) ((unsigned char *) vrrpkt + VRRP_PKTHDR_SIZE);
@@ -312,13 +312,40 @@ uint16_t vrrp_ip6_chksum(const struct vrrp_net *vnet, struct vrrphdr *pkt,
 	return cksum(buf, psh_size);
 }
 
+/**
+ * vrrp_ip6_ntop() - network to string representation
+ */
+static const char *vrrp_ip6_ntop(union vrrp_ipx_addr *ipx, char *dst)
+{
+	return inet_ntop(AF_INET6, &ipx->addr6, dst, INET6_ADDRSTRLEN);
+}
+
+/**
+ * vrrp_ip6_pton() - string representation to network
+ */
+static int vrrp_ip6_pton(union vrrp_ipx_addr *dst, const char *src)
+{
+	return inet_pton(AF_INET6, src, &dst->addr6);
+}
+
+/**
+ * vrrp_ip6_cmp() - compare two vipx
+ */
+int vrrp_ip6_cmp(union vrrp_ipx_addr *s1, union vrrp_ipx_addr *s2)
+{
+	return memcmp(&s1->addr6, &s2->addr6, sizeof(struct in6_addr));
+}
+
 /* exported VRRP_IP6 helper */
 struct vrrp_ipx VRRP_IP6 = {
 	.family = AF_INET6,
 	.setsockopt = vrrp_ip6_setsockopt,
 	.mgroup = vrrp_ip6_mgroup,
-	.cmp = vrrp_ip6_cmp,
 	.recv = vrrp_ip6_recv,
+	.cmp = vrrp_ip6_cmp,
 	.chksum = vrrp_ip6_chksum,
 	.getsize = vrrp_ip6_getsize,
+	.viplist_cmp = vrrp_ip6_viplist_cmp,
+	.ipx_pton = vrrp_ip6_pton,
+	.ipx_ntop = vrrp_ip6_ntop
 };
diff --git a/vrrp_ipx.h b/vrrp_ipx.h
index dac198c..dd59683 100644
--- a/vrrp_ipx.h
+++ b/vrrp_ipx.h
@@ -59,18 +59,24 @@ struct vrrp_ipx {
 	int family;
 	int (*setsockopt) (int, int);
 	int (*mgroup) (struct vrrp_net *);
-	int (*cmp) (struct vrrp_net *, struct vrrphdr *);
+	int (*cmp) (union vrrp_ipx_addr *, union vrrp_ipx_addr *);
 	int (*recv) (int, struct vrrp_recv *, unsigned char *, ssize_t, int *);
+	int (*getsize) (const struct vrrp_net *);
+	int (*viplist_cmp) (struct vrrp_net *, struct vrrphdr *);
 	 uint16_t(*chksum) (const struct vrrp_net *, struct vrrphdr *,
 			    union vrrp_ipx_addr *, union vrrp_ipx_addr *);
-	int (*getsize) (const struct vrrp_net *);
+	const char *(*ipx_ntop) (union vrrp_ipx_addr *, char *);
+	int (*ipx_pton) (union vrrp_ipx_addr *, const char *);
 };
 #define set_sockopt  ipx_helper->setsockopt
 #define join_mgroup  ipx_helper->mgroup
-#define vip_compare  ipx_helper->cmp
+#define vip_compare  ipx_helper->viplist_cmp
+#define ipx_cmp      ipx_helper->cmp
 #define pkt_receive  ipx_helper->recv
 #define adv_checksum ipx_helper->chksum
 #define adv_getsize  ipx_helper->getsize
+#define ipx_to_str   ipx_helper->ipx_ntop
+#define str_to_ipx   ipx_helper->ipx_pton
 
 extern struct vrrp_ipx VRRP_IP4;	/* IPv4 module */
 extern struct vrrp_ipx VRRP_IP6;	/* IPv6 module */