code: def get_prefixes(self, query):
          
          try:
              res = Prefix.smart_search(query, {})
          except socket.error:
              print >> sys.stderr, "Connection refused, please check hostname & port"
              sys.exit(1)
          except xmlrpclib.ProtocolError:
              print >> sys.stderr, "Authentication failed, please check your username / password"
              sys.exit(1)
  
          for p in res['result']:
              p.prefix_ipy = IPy.IP(p.prefix)
              self.prefixes.append(p)
docs: Get prefix data from NIPAP