Are you still pinging? 7 advanced methods to help you quickly test port connectivity

Ping is a command tool for checking network connectivity in Windows, Linux, and Unix systems. It is very practical and convenient for most Internet users, but ping has a disadvantage: it cannot specify a port. If the source address is set to prohibit ping, the ping command is useless.

In order to make up for the characteristics of ping, we usually use ping and telnet together. We can check network connectivity through ping and specify ports through telnet. Ping and telnet are two indispensable command tools in our operation and maintenance work. I believe everyone is familiar with them, so I don’t want to introduce ping and telnet in detail.

In addition to them, what other tools can be used to test port connectivity? Here I would like to share with you some other tools.

1. NMap

The full name is Network Mapper, which is a network scanning and sniffing toolkit under Linux, also known as the "king of system vulnerability scanning".

Usage scenarios: nmap provides some basic functions, such as host discovery, port scanning, service scanning, system scanning, etc. It can not only test port connectivity, but also obtain information such as the service type, status, port and protocol of the address.

Usage: nmap -p port address

2. Netcat

nc is the abbreviation of netcat. Because it is short and powerful, practical, and designed as a simple and reliable network tool.

Usage scenarios: NC provides us with four major functions (initiating port listening as a server, scanning ports as a client, transferring files, and testing network speed) with fast response speed.

Usage: nc -vz address port

3. Paping

Paping is an open source tool for testing TCP port connectivity under Linux. It only supports TCP but not UDP.

Usage scenario: PaPing can not only test port connectivity, but also detect network latency. The only drawback is that it does not support the UDP protocol.

Usage: ./paping -p port -c times address

4. cURL

cURL is a file transfer tool that works on the command line using URL syntax.

Usage scenarios: cURL supports many communication protocols, such as FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SCP, Telnet, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, etc., but curl is mainly used for file transfer, such as using curl to call API.

Usage: curl address:port

5. Psping

Psping is a testing tool provided by Microsoft that can be used to test ICMP ping, TCP ping, delay test, bandwidth test, etc.

Usage scenario: It can not only test port connectivity, but also detect network latency. The only limitation is that it is only available on Windows systems.

How to use: C:PSTools>psping.exe Address: Port

6. Hhping

Hping is a TCP/IP data packet assembly/analysis tool used in the command line. Its command mode is similar to the ping command under Unix, but it can not only send ICMP echo requests, it can also support TCP, UDP, ICMP and RAW-IP protocols. It has a routing tracking mode that can transfer files between two mutually inclusive channels.

Usage scenarios: Compared with the ping tool, HPING can use any IP packet, including ICMP, TCP, UDP, and RAWSOCKET. Its advantage is that it can customize each part of the data packet and support detailed detection of the target address.

Usage: hping address -S -V -c times -p port

7. Test-netconnection

The Test-NetConnection cmdlet displays diagnostic information for a connection.

Usage scenario: A network testing tool that comes with PowerShell. It can be used to test port connectivity. Compared with Psping, its functions are relatively simple.

Usage: Test-NetConnection address-port port