Introducing the Zing zero-packet network utility
Zing Me

© Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
Zing is a lightweight, zero-packet network utility similar to ping that provides ping functionality without the payload.
The ping networking utility (backronym Packet InterNet Groper) [1, 2, 3] is a common tool used to determine network delay and whether a host is active at an IP address [4]. Ping sends an Internet Control Message Packet (ICMP) [5] to a host as an echo request, which then receives a response from the remote host. Ping sends data about the time and the host sends the data back – to put it at its simplest, plainest explanation.
Ping is popular with admins around the world, however, the ping utility is not without problems. For instance, ping can be used to send a packet storm to overload and crash a host system – a denial-of-service (DOS) attack called a ping flood. Some sites simply do not respond to ping requests, and some firewalls block the ICMP packets sent by the ping utility.
A problem I faced was the need for ping functionality, but without sending packets of data through the network. One of the best things about being a software development engineer is that, for interesting problems, it only takes a little creativity to find a solution. Driven by the need, I created my own network utility.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
LibreOffice 7.5 has Arrived and is Loaded with New Features and Improvements
The favorite office suite of the Linux community has a new release that includes some visual refreshing and new features across all modules.
-
The Next Major Release of Elementary OS Has Arrived
It's been over a year since the developers of elementary OS released version 6.1 (Jólnir) but they've finally made their latest release (Horus) available with a renewed focus on the user.
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta Is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.
-
Vanilla OS Initial Release Is Now Available
A stock GNOME experience with on-demand immutability finally sees its first production release.