Python Ping App using Socket library

A lightweight Python implementation of the ping utility. It uses raw sockets to build ICMP packets from scratch and handles network responses manually.

How it works

The script bypasses high-level networking libraries and interacts directly with the network stack:

1. Socket Creation: Opens a socket.SOCK_RAW with the ICMP protocol.
2. Packet Assembly: Uses Python's struct module to pack the ICMP header (Type, Code, ID, Sequence, Checksum).
3. Checksum Calculation: Implements the 16-bit 1's complement sum of the entire packet.
4. Listener: Monitors the socket for incoming data, strips the IP header (for IPv4), and validates the ICMP ID to match the request.

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Command Line Arguments

• -c <count>: Number of packets to send (default: 5).
• -t <ttl>: Set the Time To Live (TTL) value.
• -l: Stop execution after the first successful response.
• -h: Show help message.

Examples:

Note: Raw sockets require root or administrator permissions to create and send packets.

Custom settings (10 packets, TTL 64): sudo python3 ping.py -c 10 -t 64 127.0.0.1

Future improvements

• Domain Resolution: Automatically resolves hostnames to IP addresses.
• IPv6 Support: Pinging IPv6 addresses.
• Response Handling: Interprets and displays detailed reply stats (bytes, response time, and TTL).
• New_flags: Support for more advanced flags.