Ping Component
Properties Methods Events Config Settings Errors
The PING component encapsulates Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) ECHO functionality, which is used to check whether there is a communications link between two computers.
Syntax
nsoftware.IPWorks.Ping
Remarks
When the PingHost method is called with the Host parameter, or if RemoteHost is assigned an IP address or domain name, the component sends an ICMP ECHO packet to the remote host. The ResponseTime and ResponseSource properties are updated with the time of the roundtrip to the remote host and the address of the host actually sending the response.
The component operates synchronously by default (i.e., waits for a response before returning control to the caller); however, the component may also operate asynchronously (i.e., returns control immediately) by setting Timeout to 0. Please refer to the Timeout property for more information.
Property List
The following is the full list of the properties of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Active | This property indicates whether the component is active. |
Idle | This property specifies the current status of the component. |
LocalHost | This property includes the name of the local host or user-assigned IP interface through which connections are initiated or accepted. |
PacketSize | This property includes the size of the packet to send as the ping request. |
RemoteHost | This property includes the address of the RemoteHost. Domain names are resolved to IP addresses. |
RequestId | This property includes a unique identifier for outgoing packets. |
ResponseSource | This property includes the source of the last PING response. |
ResponseStatus | This property includes the status of the last PING response. |
ResponseTime | This property includes the time elapsed between sending the original packet and the remote host reply. |
Timeout | This property includes the timeout for the component. |
TimeToLive | This property includes the time-to-live (TTL) value for the ICMP packets sent by the component. |
TypeOfService | This property includes the type of ICMP message sent as a ping request. |
Method List
The following is the full list of the methods of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Activate | This method enables sending and receiving data. |
Config | Sets or retrieves a configuration setting. |
Deactivate | This method disables sending and receiving data. |
DoEvents | This method processes events from the internal message queue. |
Interrupt | This method interrupts the current method. |
PingHost | This method pings a host. |
Reset | This method will reset the component. |
ResolveRemoteHost | This method resolves the hostname in RemoteHost to an IP address. |
WakeOnLAN | This method sends a Wake-On-LAN packet. |
Event List
The following is the full list of the events fired by the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Error | Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery. |
Response | This event is fired when a response packet is received. |
Config Settings
The following is a list of config settings for the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
DataCharValue | The character value used to populate the data of the ICMP packet. |
DelayHostResolution | Whether the hostname is resolved when RemoteHost is set. |
QOSDSCPValue | The raw value of DSCP portion in the IP header. |
ResponseStatus | The status of the last received response. |
TimeoutInMilliseconds | The timeout is treated as milliseconds. |
DelayHostResolution | Whether the hostname is resolved when RemoteHost is set. |
DontFragment | Whether the DontFragment control flag is set. |
IcmpDllTimeout | The timeout for the component when using the icmp.dll. |
MaxMessageSize | The maximum length of the messages that can be received. |
MulticastTTL | The time to live (TTL) value for multicast ICMP packets sent by the component. |
ReceiveAllMode | Enables a socket to receive all IPv4 or IPv6 packets on the network. |
TimeoutInMilliseconds | The timeout is treated as milliseconds. |
UseConnection | Determines whether to use a connected socket. |
UseICMPDLL | Use the icmp.dll included on Windows Systems. |
UseIPHLPDLL | Use the iphlpapi.dll included on Windows Systems. |
UseIPv6 | Whether to use IPv6. |
AbsoluteTimeout | Determines whether timeouts are inactivity timeouts or absolute timeouts. |
FirewallData | Used to send extra data to the firewall. |
InBufferSize | The size in bytes of the incoming queue of the socket. |
OutBufferSize | The size in bytes of the outgoing queue of the socket. |
BuildInfo | Information about the product's build. |
GUIAvailable | Whether or not a message loop is available for processing events. |
LicenseInfo | Information about the current license. |
MaskSensitiveData | Whether sensitive data is masked in log messages. |
UseInternalSecurityAPI | Whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation. |
Active Property (Ping Component)
This property indicates whether the component is active.
Syntax
Default Value
False
Remarks
This property indicates whether the component is currently active and can send or receive data. Use the Activate and Deactivate methods to control whether the component is active.
The PingHost method will automatically change the value of this property to True.
This property is read-only and not available at design time.
Idle Property (Ping Component)
This property specifies the current status of the component.
Syntax
Default Value
True
Remarks
Idle will be False if the component is currently busy (communicating or waiting for an answer), and True at all other times.
This property is read-only.
LocalHost Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the name of the local host or user-assigned IP interface through which connections are initiated or accepted.
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
The LocalHost property contains the name of the local host as obtained by the gethostname() system call, or if the user has assigned an IP address, the value of that address.
In multihomed hosts (machines with more than one IP interface) setting LocalHost to the IP address of an interface will make the component initiate connections (or accept in the case of server components) only through that interface. It is recommended to provide an IP address rather than a hostname when setting this property to ensure the desired interface is used.
If the component is connected, the LocalHost property shows the IP address of the interface through which the connection is made in internet dotted format (aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd). In most cases, this is the address of the local host, except for multihomed hosts (machines with more than one IP interface).
Note: LocalHost is not persistent. You must always set it in code, and never in the property window.
PacketSize Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the size of the packet to send as the ping request.
Syntax
Default Value
64
Remarks
This property allows you to control the size of the data packet sent in the PingHost method. The default packet size is 64 bytes, with a minimum of 8 bytes (4 bytes of the ICMP header plus the ECHO identifier). The maximum value is 65520.
RemoteHost Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the address of the RemoteHost. Domain names are resolved to IP addresses.
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property specifies the IP address (IP number in dotted internet format) or the domain name of the remote host.
If this property is set to 255.255.255.255, the component broadcasts data on the local subnet.
If this property is set to a domain name, a DNS request is initiated. Upon successful termination of the request, the property is set to the corresponding address. If the search is not successful, the component throws an exception.
If UseConnection is True, this property must be set before the component is activated (Active is set to True).
RequestId Property (Ping Component)
This property includes a unique identifier for outgoing packets.
Syntax
Default Value
0
Remarks
This property contains a unique identifier for outgoing packets. This property is useful during asynchronous ping operations. The RequestId parameter of the Response event is used to match requests with responses.
The identifier of the outgoing ping packet is provided in this property after the PingHost method returns.
This property is read-only and not available at design time.
ResponseSource Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the source of the last PING response.
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property contains the address of the host responding to the PING (ICMP ECHO) request. This may or may not be the host used in PingHost.
This property is read-only.
ResponseStatus Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the status of the last PING response.
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property contains the status of the last response. After PingHost has returned, this property will be populated with the status of the response. For responses without error, the value will be OK. In the case of an error, the value will hold a description of the error, such as Network Unreachable or Host Unreachable.
This property is read-only.
ResponseTime Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the time elapsed between sending the original packet and the remote host reply.
Syntax
Default Value
0
Remarks
This property contains the time elapsed between sending the original packet and the remote host reply. The time value is expressed in milliseconds. The lowest resolution available depends on the resolution of the clock on the host system (normally between 10 ms and 20 ms).
This property is read-only.
Timeout Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the timeout for the component.
Syntax
Default Value
60
Remarks
If the Timeout property is set to 0, all operations return immediately, potentially failing with a WOULDBLOCK error if data cannot be sent immediately.
If Timeout is set to a positive value, data is sent in a blocking manner and the component will wait for the operation to complete before returning control. The component will handle any potential WOULDBLOCK errors internally and automatically retry the operation for a maximum of Timeout seconds.
The component will use DoEvents to enter an efficient wait loop during any potential waiting period, making sure that all system events are processed immediately as they arrive. This ensures that the host application does not freeze and remains responsive.
If Timeout expires, and the operation is not yet complete, the component throws an exception.
Note: By default, all timeouts are inactivity timeouts, that is, the timeout period is extended by Timeout seconds when any amount of data is successfully sent or received.
The default value for the Timeout property is 60 seconds.
TimeToLive Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the time-to-live (TTL) value for the ICMP packets sent by the component.
Syntax
Default Value
0
Remarks
This method contains the time-to-live (TTL) value for the ICMP packets sent by the component. The TTL field of the ICMP packet is a counter limiting the lifetime of a packet.
Each router (or other module) that handles a packet decrements the TTL field by one or more if it holds the packet for more than one second. Thus, the TTL value is effectively a hop count limit on how far a datagram can propagate through the internet. When the TTL value is reduced to zero (or less), the packet is discarded.
If the value of the property is set to zero, then the default TTL value of the underlying Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP subsystem will be used.
This property is not available at design time.
TypeOfService Property (Ping Component)
This property includes the type of ICMP message sent as a ping request.
Syntax
Default Value
8
Remarks
This property contains the type of the ICMP message sent as a ping request. The default value is 8 (ECHO REQUEST).
This property is not available at design time.
Activate Method (Ping Component)
This method enables sending and receiving data.
Syntax
public void Activate(); Async Version public async Task Activate(); public async Task Activate(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Activate() Async Version Public Sub Activate() As Task Public Sub Activate(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method enables sending and receiving of data.
Note: Calling the PingHost method will automatically activate the component.
Config Method (Ping Component)
Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.
Syntax
Remarks
Config is a generic method available in every component. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the component.
These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.
To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).
To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.
Deactivate Method (Ping Component)
This method disables sending and receiving data.
Syntax
public void Deactivate(); Async Version public async Task Deactivate(); public async Task Deactivate(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Deactivate() Async Version Public Sub Deactivate() As Task Public Sub Deactivate(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method disables sending and receiving data.
DoEvents Method (Ping Component)
This method processes events from the internal message queue.
Syntax
public void DoEvents(); Async Version public async Task DoEvents(); public async Task DoEvents(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub DoEvents() Async Version Public Sub DoEvents() As Task Public Sub DoEvents(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
When DoEvents is called, the component processes any available events. If no events are available, it waits for a preset period of time, and then returns.
Interrupt Method (Ping Component)
This method interrupts the current method.
Syntax
public void Interrupt(); Async Version public async Task Interrupt(); public async Task Interrupt(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Interrupt() Async Version Public Sub Interrupt() As Task Public Sub Interrupt(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
If there is no method in progress, Interrupt simply returns, doing nothing.
PingHost Method (Ping Component)
This method pings a host.
Syntax
public void PingHost(string host); Async Version public async Task PingHost(string host); public async Task PingHost(string host, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub PingHost(ByVal Host As String) Async Version Public Sub PingHost(ByVal Host As String) As Task Public Sub PingHost(ByVal Host As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method will ping a host. A valid internet domain name or address must be specified in Host, or an error will be returned.
A PING request (ICMP ECHO) is sent to the Host.
Example. Ping a Host:
PingControl.PingHost("MyHostName")
ResponseTime = PingControl.ResponseTime
Reset Method (Ping Component)
This method will reset the component.
Syntax
public void Reset(); Async Version public async Task Reset(); public async Task Reset(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Reset() Async Version Public Sub Reset() As Task Public Sub Reset(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method will reset the component's properties to their default values.
ResolveRemoteHost Method (Ping Component)
This method resolves the hostname in RemoteHost to an IP address.
Syntax
public void ResolveRemoteHost(); Async Version public async Task ResolveRemoteHost(); public async Task ResolveRemoteHost(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub ResolveRemoteHost() Async Version Public Sub ResolveRemoteHost() As Task Public Sub ResolveRemoteHost(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method resolves the hostname specified by RemoteHost to an IP address. The resolved value is available in the RemoteHost property after this method returns.
In most cases, calling this method is not necessary; the component will resolve the hostname automatically when needed. If DelayHostResolution is true, this method may be called to manually resolve RemoteHost, if desired.
WakeOnLAN Method (Ping Component)
This method sends a Wake-On-LAN packet.
Syntax
public void WakeOnLAN(string remoteHost, string MACAddress); Async Version public async Task WakeOnLAN(string remoteHost, string MACAddress); public async Task WakeOnLAN(string remoteHost, string MACAddress, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub WakeOnLAN(ByVal RemoteHost As String, ByVal MACAddress As String) Async Version Public Sub WakeOnLAN(ByVal RemoteHost As String, ByVal MACAddress As String) As Task Public Sub WakeOnLAN(ByVal RemoteHost As String, ByVal MACAddress As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
When this method is called, a Wake-On-LAN packet is sent to RemoteHost (which may also be a broadcast address). This has the effect of powering on the machine (if such functionality is supported by the network card on the remote machine).
The physical address of the remote host must be supplied in the MACAddress parameter.
Error Event (Ping Component)
Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.
Syntax
public event OnErrorHandler OnError; public delegate void OnErrorHandler(object sender, PingErrorEventArgs e); public class PingErrorEventArgs : EventArgs { public int ErrorCode { get; } public string Description { get; } }
Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler Public Delegate Sub OnErrorHandler(sender As Object, e As PingErrorEventArgs) Public Class PingErrorEventArgs Inherits EventArgs Public ReadOnly Property ErrorCode As Integer Public ReadOnly Property Description As String End Class
Remarks
The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the component throws an exception.
The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.
Response Event (Ping Component)
This event is fired when a response packet is received.
Syntax
public event OnResponseHandler OnResponse; public delegate void OnResponseHandler(object sender, PingResponseEventArgs e); public class PingResponseEventArgs : EventArgs { public int RequestId { get; } public string ResponseSource { get; } public string ResponseStatus { get; } public int ResponseTime { get; } }
Public Event OnResponse As OnResponseHandler Public Delegate Sub OnResponseHandler(sender As Object, e As PingResponseEventArgs) Public Class PingResponseEventArgs Inherits EventArgs Public ReadOnly Property RequestId As Integer Public ReadOnly Property ResponseSource As String Public ReadOnly Property ResponseStatus As String Public ReadOnly Property ResponseTime As Integer End Class
Remarks
The RequestId parameter is used along with the RequestId property to match requests with responses.
ResponseStatus is set to OK for normal operation, or it contains an error string, such as Network unreachable or Host unreachable.
Config Settings (Ping Component)
The component accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.Ping Config Settings
The default value is false for the default library and true for the async library.
This functionality is supported on Windows only. Administrative privileges are required.
ICMP Config Settings
The default value is false for the default library and true for the async library.
The default value is False.
The default value for IcmpDllTimeout is 60 seconds.
Note: This configuration setting is valid only when UseICMPDLL is set to True.
Each router (or other module) that handles a packet decrements the TTL field by one or more if it holds the packet for more than one second. Thus, the TTL is effectively a hop count limit on how far a datagram can propagate through the internet. When the TTL is reduced to zero (or less), the packet is discarded.
By default, the default TTL value of the underlying Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP subsystem will be used.
Value | Description |
-1 (default) | The socket option is left unspecified. |
0 | Do not receive all network traffic. |
1 | Receive all network traffic. This enables the promiscuous mode on the network interface card (NIC). On a LAN segment with a network hub, a NIC that supports the promiscuous mode will capture all IPv4 or IPv6 traffic on the LAN, including traffic between other computers on the same LAN segment. |
2 | Receive only socket-level network traffic (this feature may not be implemented by your Windows installation). |
3 | Receive only IP-level network traffic. This option does not enable the promiscuous mode on the NIC. This option affects packet processing only at the IP level. The NIC still receives only those packets directed to its configured unicast and multicast addresses. A socket with this option enabled, however, not only will receive packets directed to specific IP addresses, but also will receive all the IPv4 or IPv6 packets the NIC receives. |
Note: This setting is valid only when UseICMPDLL is set to True.
The default value for this setting is False.
Note: If both this and UseICMPDLL are enabled, the iphlpapi.dll will take precedence.
0 | IPv4 only |
1 | IPv6 only |
2 | IPv6 with IPv4 fallback |
Socket Config Settings
Note: This option is not valid for User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports.
Some TCP/IP implementations do not support variable buffer sizes. If that is the case, when the component is activated the InBufferSize reverts to its defined size. The same happens if you attempt to make it too large or too small.
Some TCP/IP implementations do not support variable buffer sizes. If that is the case, when the component is activated the OutBufferSize reverts to its defined size. The same happens if you attempt to make it too large or too small.
Base Config Settings
In some non-GUI applications, an invalid message loop may be discovered that will result in errant behavior. In these cases, setting GUIAvailable to false will ensure that the component does not attempt to process external events.
- Product: The product the license is for.
- Product Key: The key the license was generated from.
- License Source: Where the license was found (e.g., RuntimeLicense, License File).
- License Type: The type of license installed (e.g., Royalty Free, Single Server).
- Last Valid Build: The last valid build number for which the license will work.
This setting only works on these components: AS3Receiver, AS3Sender, Atom, Client(3DS), FTP, FTPServer, IMAP, OFTPClient, SSHClient, SCP, Server(3DS), Sexec, SFTP, SFTPServer, SSHServer, TCPClient, TCPServer.
Setting this configuration setting to true tells the component to use the internal implementation instead of using the system security libraries.
On Windows, this setting is set to false by default. On Linux/macOS, this setting is set to true by default.
If using the .NET Standard Library, this setting will be true on all platforms. The .NET Standard library does not support using the system security libraries.
Note: This setting is static. The value set is applicable to all components used in the application.
When this value is set, the product's system dynamic link library (DLL) is no longer required as a reference, as all unmanaged code is stored in that file.
Trappable Errors (Ping Component)
Ping Errors
102 | The RemoteHost address is invalid (0.0.0.0). |
127 | The destination is unreachable. |
The component may also return one of the following error codes, which are inherited from other components.
ICMP Errors
104 | The component is already Active. |
107 | Cannot change the LocalHost at this time. A connection is in progress. |
109 | The component must be Active for this operation. |
112 | Cannot change MaxMessageSize while ICMP is Active. |
114 | Cannot change RemoteHost when UseConnection is set and the component is Active. |
117 | Cannot change UseConnection while the component is Active. |
118 | The message cannot be longer than MaxMessageSize. |
119 | The message is too short. |
120 | Cannot create ICMP handle. |
SSL Errors
270 | Cannot load specified security library. |
271 | Cannot open certificate store. |
272 | Cannot find specified certificate. |
273 | Cannot acquire security credentials. |
274 | Cannot find certificate chain. |
275 | Cannot verify certificate chain. |
276 | Error during handshake. |
280 | Error verifying certificate. |
281 | Could not find client certificate. |
282 | Could not find server certificate. |
283 | Error encrypting data. |
284 | Error decrypting data. |
TCP/IP Errors
10004 | [10004] Interrupted system call. |
10009 | [10009] Bad file number. |
10013 | [10013] Access denied. |
10014 | [10014] Bad address. |
10022 | [10022] Invalid argument. |
10024 | [10024] Too many open files. |
10035 | [10035] Operation would block. |
10036 | [10036] Operation now in progress. |
10037 | [10037] Operation already in progress. |
10038 | [10038] Socket operation on nonsocket. |
10039 | [10039] Destination address required. |
10040 | [10040] Message is too long. |
10041 | [10041] Protocol wrong type for socket. |
10042 | [10042] Bad protocol option. |
10043 | [10043] Protocol is not supported. |
10044 | [10044] Socket type is not supported. |
10045 | [10045] Operation is not supported on socket. |
10046 | [10046] Protocol family is not supported. |
10047 | [10047] Address family is not supported by protocol family. |
10048 | [10048] Address already in use. |
10049 | [10049] Cannot assign requested address. |
10050 | [10050] Network is down. |
10051 | [10051] Network is unreachable. |
10052 | [10052] Net dropped connection or reset. |
10053 | [10053] Software caused connection abort. |
10054 | [10054] Connection reset by peer. |
10055 | [10055] No buffer space available. |
10056 | [10056] Socket is already connected. |
10057 | [10057] Socket is not connected. |
10058 | [10058] Cannot send after socket shutdown. |
10059 | [10059] Too many references, cannot splice. |
10060 | [10060] Connection timed out. |
10061 | [10061] Connection refused. |
10062 | [10062] Too many levels of symbolic links. |
10063 | [10063] File name is too long. |
10064 | [10064] Host is down. |
10065 | [10065] No route to host. |
10066 | [10066] Directory is not empty |
10067 | [10067] Too many processes. |
10068 | [10068] Too many users. |
10069 | [10069] Disc Quota Exceeded. |
10070 | [10070] Stale NFS file handle. |
10071 | [10071] Too many levels of remote in path. |
10091 | [10091] Network subsystem is unavailable. |
10092 | [10092] WINSOCK DLL Version out of range. |
10093 | [10093] Winsock is not loaded yet. |
11001 | [11001] Host not found. |
11002 | [11002] Nonauthoritative 'Host not found' (try again or check DNS setup). |
11003 | [11003] Nonrecoverable errors: FORMERR, REFUSED, NOTIMP. |
11004 | [11004] Valid name, no data record (check DNS setup). |