Subject: Re: ping on cygwin?
From: Tino Lange <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 18:36:45 +0100

[email-masked] wrote:

Hi again!

> Again I have to direct you to the FAQ:
> 
> Why isn't package XXXX available in Cygwin? (Or, why is your package so 
> out of date?) <http://cygwin.com/faq/faq_4.html#SEC52>

Thanks! I read it once again and hence I like to (try to) contribute - 
see below.

> it's very worthwhile to check the FAQ, email archives and other
> documentation for this kind of information before posting to the list. 

I googled and searched for ping.exe since about 4 hours today.
I found some scripts in python and perl that might emulate a ping, found 
someone proposing to wrap MS-ping and emulate the return values by 
regexp the output and so on. Also I looked through various cygwin 
systems and package lists to find the appropiate cygwin package.
I also searched UnxUtils and the GnuWin32 project and the MS site incl. 
knowledgebase. All without success.

I learned a lot about raw icmp sockets and why only root is allowed to 
open them - making ping a setuid program.

 > It's generally a time-saver for everyone as well as a good habit
 > and good information source. :-)

Larry, really I think I was quite prepared before asking the list. I 
really didn't want to waste some of your time or to offend you by 'just 
asking' - maybe I should have written more clearly that I already tried 
to inform myself a a lot prior to asking.

I think 'ping' is a VERY essential tool and part of even every 
mini-linux/unix, I didn't just ask for some package XXXX. 'ping' is one 
of THE basic programs. It's even so essential that even MS makes a 
'ping.exe' :-) So I thought and think that Cygwin must also provide a 
ping - and if not, there must be a good reason.

That's why I finally asked the group - I thought that maybe I could also 
save some precious time not searching further for hours or try to 
compile sth. that isn't possible with cygwin (yet).

 > The answer to your last question might even already be in the email
 > archives (and maybe not but at least then you'll be pretty sure you're
 > not covering ground the list has already discussed).

I googled a lot and didn't find something. The search engine on the 
cygwin site gives internal server errors every second try, but the first 
  3 pages of results also didn't answer.

I also tried to compile by myself, but Lapo isn't right:
 > AFAIK the "usual" ping.c compiles and works well on CygWin.
Unfortunately not. There are lot's of include (and mybe more) problems 
that have to be solved

OK!
I'm willing to contribute and try to solve that. If noone here has some 
other idea I think I found some missing program in the great 
cygwin-world. I'll try to compile ping from 
ftp://ftp.inr.ac.ru/ip-routing/iputils-current.tar.gz and I'll tel you 
about my success or failure later.

(Just to make clear and not to annoy: Is it allowed according to the 
mailing list regulations to ask the group for possible help while the 
development of such new packages? Or isn't that list the right place?)

Thanks for your help again
and best regards

Tino

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