Re: ping options

[cesco <emaxt6@xxxxxxxxx>]

 Ok thanks, I've checked also the man page of AIX for the ping command, the DF option is missing too there (usually present in Freebsd and linuxes and windoze).-f in AIX is for flooding.
It is also possible that the networking layer of IBMi clears the DF bit even if you use raw sockets with IPv4 header specs to force it at the application layer, so with no direct control. Possibly to avoid PMTU mess ups as a default stance.
"fping" doesn't exist on AIX by default, it is an external (widely used) utility.





    On Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 01:40:59 PM GMT+1, Rob Berendt <robertowenberendt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:  
 
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# ping -M 9.9.9.9
ping: Not a recognized flag: M
usage: ping [-dDLnqrRv] [-a address_family] [-c count] [-w timeout]
        [-f | -i wait] [-I a.b.c.d] [-l preload] [-o interface]
        [-p pattern] [-s packet_size] [-S IPv6_hostname_or_address]
        [-T ttl] [-E Interface name| Source Hostname| Source IP address]
host [data size] [npackets]
# fping -M 9.9.9.9
ksh: fping:  not found.
# oslevel -s
7300-03-01-2520

On Thu, Mar 5, 2026 at 6:36 AM cesco via MIDRANGE-L <
midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>   Out of curiosity to check this DF thing and to have a decent tool also in
> PASE, I downloaded the "fping" last sources and compiled it in PASE using
> gcc.
> The tool is useful because supports ranges etc. so I'll keep it installed
> on the partition, it works fine but when asked to "not fragment" it says as
> below.
> Does somebody have access to a real AIX with the possibility to check if
> AIX allows it in stock ping (ping -f)??thanks
>
>   -bash-5.2$ ./fping -M 9.9.9.9
> ./fping, -M option not supported on this platform
>
>
> -bash-5.2$ ./fping --help
> Usage: ./fping [options] [targets...]
>
> Probing options:
>     -4, --ipv4        only ping IPv4 addresses
>     -6, --ipv6        only ping IPv6 addresses
>     -b, --size=BYTES  amount of ping data to send, in bytes (default: 56)
>     -B, --backoff=N    set exponential backoff factor to N (default: 1.5)
>     -c, --count=N      count mode: send N pings to each target and report
> stats
>     -f, --file=FILE    read list of targets from a file ( - means stdin)
>     -g, --generate    generate target list (only if no -f specified),
>                       limited to at most 131072 targets
>                       (give start and end IP in the target list, or a CIDR
> address)
>                       (ex. ./fping -g 192.168.1.0 192.168.1.255 or ./fping
> -g 192.168.1.0/24)
>     -H, --ttl=N        set the IP TTL value (Time To Live hops)
>     -i, --interval=MSEC  interval between sending ping packets (default: 10
> ms)
>     -l, --loop        loop mode: send pings forever
>     -m, --all          use all IPs of provided hostnames (e.g. IPv4 and
> IPv6), use with -A
>     -M, --dontfrag    set the Don't Fragment flag
>     -O, --tos=N        set the type of service (tos) flag on the ICMP
> packets
>     -p, --period=MSEC  interval between ping packets to one target (in ms)
>                       (in loop and count modes, default: 1000 ms)
>     -r, --retry=N      number of retries (default: 3)
>     -R, --random      random packet data (to foil link data compression)
>     -S, --src=IP      set source address
>         --seqmap-timeout=MSEC sequence number mapping timeout (default:
> 10000 ms)
>     -t, --timeout=MSEC individual target initial timeout (default: 500 ms,
>                       except with -l/-c/-C, where it's the -p period up to
> 2000 ms)
>         --check-source discard replies not from target address
>         --icmp-timestamp use ICMP Timestamp instead of ICMP Echo
>
> Output options:
>     -a, --alive        show targets that are alive
>     -A, --addr        show targets by address
>     -C, --vcount=N    same as -c, report results (not stats) in verbose
> format
>     -d, --rdns        show targets by name (force reverse-DNS lookup)
>     -D, --timestamp    print timestamp before each output line
>         --timestamp-format=FORMAT  show timestamp in the given format (-D
> required): ctime|iso|rfc3339
>     -e, --elapsed      show elapsed time on return packets
>     -J, --json        output in JSON format (-c, -C, or -l required)
>     -n, --name        show targets by name (reverse-DNS lookup for target
> IPs)
>     -N, --netdata      output compatible for netdata (-l -Q are required)
>     -o, --outage      show the accumulated outage time (lost packets *
> packet interval)
>     -q, --quiet        quiet (don't show per-target/per-ping results)
>     -Q, --squiet=SECS[,cumulative]  same as -q, but add interval summary
> every SECS seconds,
>                                     with 'cumulative', print stats since
> beginning
>     -s, --stats        print final stats
>     -u, --unreach      show targets that are unreachable
>     -v, --version      show version
>     -x, --reachable=N  shows if >=N hosts are reachable or not
>     -X, --fast-reachable=N exits true immediately when N hosts are found
>         --print-tos    show received TOS value
>         --print-ttl    show IP TTL value
>
>
>
>
>
>
>     On Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 04:47:18 AM GMT+1, Don Brown via
> MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>   Hi
>
> I had a request to run a ping on the IBMi and specify the -f option to
> stop fragmentation.
>
> The green screen option does not support specifying this option.
>
> I searched and there was supposed to be an option in iNavigator but I
> think that referred to the old version as I could not find it.
>
> I tries the PASE environment but got "ping not found" and system ping also
> does not seem to support any switches.
>
> Hopefully I am just not looking hard enough ?
>
> Thanks
>
> Don Brown
>
>
> Brisbane - Sydney - Melbourne
>
>
> Don Brown
>
> Senior Consultant
>
>
>
>
> P: 1300 088 400
>
>
>
>
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