def validate_url(url):
    """validate a url for zeromq"""
    if not isinstance(url, str):
        raise TypeError("url must be a string, not %r"%type(url))
    url = url.lower()
    
    proto_addr = url.split('://')
    assert len(proto_addr) == 2, 'Invalid url: %r'%url
    proto, addr = proto_addr
    assert proto in ['tcp','pgm','epgm','ipc','inproc'], "Invalid protocol: %r"%proto
    
    # domain pattern adapted from http://www.regexlib.com/REDetails.aspx?regexp_id=391
    # author: Remi Sabourin
    pat = re.compile(r'^([\w\d]([\w\d\-]{0,61}[\w\d])?\.)*[\w\d]([\w\d\-]{0,61}[\w\d])?$')
    
    if proto == 'tcp':
        lis = addr.split(':')
        assert len(lis) == 2, 'Invalid url: %r'%url
        addr,s_port = lis
        try:
            port = int(s_port)
        except __HOLE__:
            raise AssertionError("Invalid port %r in url: %r"%(port, url))
        
        assert addr == '*' or pat.match(addr) is not None, 'Invalid url: %r'%url
        
    else:
        # only validate tcp urls currently
        pass
    
    return True
dataset/ETHPy150Open ipython/ipython-py3k/IPython/parallel/util.py/validate_url