Subject: bin/16011: ping(8)'s -w doesn't operate as documented
To: None <firstname.lastname@example.org>
From: None <email@example.com>
Date: 03/22/2002 13:01:19
>Synopsis: ping(8)'s -w doesn't operate as documented
>Arrival-Date: Fri Mar 22 10:02:00 PST 2002
>Originator: gabriel rosenkoetter
>Release: NetBSD 1.5ZA
System: NetBSD humbug 1.5ZA NetBSD 1.5ZA (HUMBUG) #0: Wed Feb 20 06:08:17 EST 2002 gr@grappa:/usr/obj/.i386/sys/arch/i386/compile/HUMBUG i386
[Note: this should be filed under the change-request class *too*. Can
GNATS not do that?]
ping(8) on NetBSD sez:
Specifies the number of seconds to wait for a response to a pack-
et before transmitting the next one. The default is 10.0.
However, when I do ping -c 5 -w 2 <host>, I only get 2 packets back.
That's mighty weird, I wonder what's broken...
Well, let's see what happens on RedHat Linux 7.2, for kicks. Same
thing. Hrm. Aha, but their ping(8) documents -w like this:
Specify a timeout, in seconds, before ping exits regardless of
how many packets have been sent or received.
Both of these (documented) functions are useful. It so happens I
want the one that our documentation lists (but that doesn't actually
exist), but I can see a clear use for the other.
ping -c 5 -w 2 localhost
Note that you get 2 packets instead of 5.
Duplicate the (correct) documentation from Linux for -w.
Implement (using another flag, -W?) what our documentation says -w
does. Because it'd be handy to have. (I may decide I actually want
this and do that. If so, I'll attach patches to this PR later.)