linkloop(1) - Linux man page

Name

linkloop & linkloop_reply - Link layer (layer-2) connectivity testing

Syntax

linkloop [options] destination

Description

This program is similar to ping(1), but tests connectivity at the link layer (layer-2) instead of the network layer (layer-3).

It receives one parameter which is the destination address, sends a special LLC-TEST packet and waits for a reply.

linkloop_reply runs as a daemon, listening at the llc level on network interfaces passed on the command line, and responding by sending back a test packet.

The destination address can be given in the following forms:

colon separated: Example: 00:02:B3:C0:DC:CA
Hexadecimal: Example: 0x0002B3C0DCCA
Name: Taken
from /etc/ethers

Options

-d: Debug
-i<iface>: Network interface
-t<timeout>: Timeout between packets
-n<retries>: Number of retries
-s<size>: Packet size in bytes

Examples

linkloop 08:00:09:91:88:FE: Default test against given MAC address
linkloop -i eth1 -t 3 -n 5 hp-715: Testing via eth1 with 3 seconds timeout and 5 frames. Run the test against the mac of hp-715 as taken from the /etc/ethers database.
linkloop_reply eth0 eth3: Listening and responding on interfaces eth0 and
eth3

Authors

Oron Peled <oron@actcom.co.il>

Dominique Domet de Mont <Dominique.Domet-de-Mont@hp.com>