ping6.py

Ping an IPv6 host from a specified source IPv6 address

$ ping6.py [source_ipv6] [destination_ipv6]

$ ping6.py 2001:db8::1 2001:db8::2

python3 ping6.py [OPTIONS] destination
or
./ping6.py [OPTIONS] destination (if executable and shebang is present)

destination
    The target IPv6 address or hostname to send ICMPv6 Echo Request packets to. This is typically a mandatory argument.

-c count
    Specifies the number of Echo Request packets to send. The command will exit after sending this many packets and receiving their replies or timing out.

-t timeout
    Sets the maximum time in seconds to wait for a reply to a single Echo Request. If a reply is not received within this period, the packet is considered lost.

-i interval
    Defines the interval in seconds between sending each Echo Request packet. This prevents flooding the network.

-v
    Enables verbose output, displaying more detailed information about the sent and received packets, including ICMPv6 header details or specific error messages.

The ping6.py command, typically a custom or educational Python script, provides a basic implementation of the Internet Control Message Protocol version 6 (ICMPv6) Echo Request and Echo Reply mechanism. Similar in functionality to the standard ping6 utility, it is used to test the reachability of an IPv6 host on an IP network and and to measure the round-trip time for messages sent from the originating host to a destination computer. Unlike the compiled C-based ping6 executable, ping6.py leverages Python's networking capabilities, often utilizing raw sockets or specialized libraries like Scapy, to construct and dissect ICMPv6 packets. Its primary purpose is to diagnose network connectivity issues, verify host availability, and assess network latency for IPv6-only or dual-stack environments. The exact features and options available in ping6.py can vary significantly depending on its specific implementation, as it is not a universally standardized command found in Linux distributions. It serves as an excellent tool for learning network programming or for specialized testing scenarios where a lightweight, scriptable IPv6 ping utility is desired.

As ping6.py is typically a custom Python script, its exact functionality, available options, and behavior can vary widely. It may require specific Python libraries (e.g., scapy, socket) to be installed. Running ping6.py often requires root privileges due to the need to create raw sockets for ICMPv6 packet manipulation, similar to the standard ping6 command. Error handling and performance might not be as robust or optimized as the system's compiled ping6 utility. Users should consult the script's source code or any provided documentation for precise usage details.

ping6.py typically requires the Python interpreter (usually Python 3) to be installed on the system. Depending on its implementation, it may also necessitate specific third-party Python libraries, such as scapy for advanced packet crafting, which need to be installed via pip. Due to the nature of ICMP packet manipulation, the script often needs to be run with elevated privileges (e.g., using sudo) to create and bind raw sockets.

Beyond basic connectivity testing, ping6.py can be particularly useful in educational settings for demonstrating IPv6 networking principles, in development environments for testing custom network stacks, or in security contexts for building specialized scanning or reconnaissance tools where scriptable control over ICMPv6 packets is desired. Its Pythonic nature makes it easily extensible and integratable into larger automation scripts.

The concept of ping originated in 1983, created by Mike Muuss, to troubleshoot network problems. With the advent and growth of IPv6, the need for an equivalent tool emerged, leading to the development of ping6 for IPv6 networks. While the official ping6 utility is typically a compiled C program, the rise of Python as a powerful scripting language for network automation and security led to various independent implementations of ping6 in Python. These ping6.py scripts are not part of the standard Linux distribution but are commonly developed for educational purposes, rapid prototyping, custom network testing, or as components of larger network analysis frameworks (e.g., using libraries like Scapy or raw socket programming). Their history is tied to the general evolution of network diagnostics and the increasing popularity of Python for network-related tasks.

ping(8), ping6(8), traceroute6(8), ip(8)