---
name: "MacPinger"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "macgate"
version: "1.14-5"
release: "Debian 2.2 (Potato)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/MacPinger"
---

# MacPinger(8)

Verify routes in the IPDDP device.

## NAME

MacPinger - Verify routes in the IPDDP device.

## SYNOPSIS

**MacPinger** -i *IP address* -v *interval* -r *retry count* -t *timeout*

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **MacPinger** command. This manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution because the original program does not have a manual page.

**MacPinger** provides route verification for [**MacGated**(8)](/MacGated/8.md). For each route that is added to MacRouteList, [**MacGated**(8)](/MacGated/8.md) spins a child. This child is called **MacPinger.** **MacPinger** is forked with the routing entry information. Immediately following fork() **MacPinger** sets an alarm for verification of this route based on Route-\>verify. The alarm goes off every Route-\>verify seconds. Upon waking the child (Pinger) sends Route-\>icmp\_fail ICMP pings or untill a response is received. If a response is received then the routing entry is left in the list and the next alarm is set to go off in Route-\>verify seconds. If no ICMP response is received then the child terminates but first signaling MacGated (Parent) to remove the respective routing entry from the list. (As no ICMP ping response was received, either the Mac is down or defunct). This opens up that IP to be routed to another Mac.

It is possible that many children can be spawned. This should not be a problem as processing for each **MacPinger** is minimal.

## OPTIONS

A summary of options are included below.

- **-i *IP address***

  Specifies the IP address of the Macintosh to be pinged.

- **-i *interval***

  Interval in seconds between ICMP verifies.

- **-i *retry count***

  Number of ICMP retries before the route is marked dead.

- **-i *timeout***

  Timeout between ICMP echo and reply.

## SEE ALSO

[**MacRoute**(8)](/MacRoute/8.md) [**MacRegister**(8)](/MacRegister/8.md) [**MacGated**(8)](/MacGated/8.md) [**ping**(1)](/ping/1.md)

For more information on using the IPDDP device see Documentation/networking/ipddp.txt in the kernel source code, which explains more precisly on how to get the IPDDP device working.

## AUTHOR

The MacGate suite was written by Jay Schulist \<Jay.Schulist@spacs.k12.wi.us\> and is copyrighted under the GNU General Public License.  This manual page was adapted from the source code of MacPinger.c by David Huggins-Daines \<dhd@debian.org\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system.
