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Ping tools are utilities used to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol (IP) network and to measure the round-trip time (RTT) for packets sent from the source host to the destination host. Here are some of the most commonly used ping tools and their features:

Ping (Command Line Tool):

• Platform: Built into almost all operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.)
• Features: Sends ICMP echo requests to a host and listens for echo replies. Displays RTT and packet loss statistics.

fping:

• Platform: Linux, macOS
• Features: Similar to ping but designed to send ICMP echo requests to multiple hosts in parallel.

hping:

• Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows (with some restrictions)
• Features: Advanced TCP/IP packet assembler/analyzer. It supports TCP, UDP, and ICMP protocols. It’s useful for network scanning and testing.

nmap:

• Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows
• Features: While primarily known as a network scanning tool, nmap has a -sn flag that conducts a ping scan.

PingPlotter:

• Platform: Windows, macOS
• Features: Graphically represents the path packets take to a target and shows where along the path packets are getting dropped or delayed.

NPing:

• Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows
• Features: Part of the nmap suite, NPing is an advanced tool for network packet generation, response analysis, and RTT measurement.

Multiping:

• Platform: Windows
• Features: Provides graphical views of ping data and allows monitoring of multiple targets simultaneously.

MTR (My Traceroute):

• Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows (WinMTR)
• Features: Combines the functionality of the traceroute and ping tools in a single tool. It continuously updates and displays information about the network path to a destination.

Tping:

• Platform: Windows
• Features: A tool that combines regular ping with TCP-based ping to test both ICMP and TCP response.

PingInfoView:

• Platform: Windows
• Features: Allows users to easily ping multiple host names and IP addresses and view the results in one table.

SmokePing:

• Platform: Linux
• Features: Monitors network latency and provides visualization of ping over time, highlighting packet loss and latency fluctuations.

When using any of these tools, especially those that send a large number of packets in a short amount of time or scan multiple hosts, it’s essential to ensure that you have permission to test the network or host. Unauthorized scanning and pinging can be considered a hostile act and might violate terms of service or even laws in some jurisdictions.

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