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PingTool Help   |   Watch the PingTool video (YouTube, 9:00 minutes)

Latest version is 4.3.0.84 (01-Nov-2024). Please update to this version. Why?

Tutorial PingTool 4.3

PingTool is the small, powerful tool for administrators and network admins. Besides adhoc ping monitoring, it also offers the possibility to check TCP ports, run network speed tests and to wake up computers via Wake-on-Lan (Magic Packet).

Content

What's new in version 4.3.0.84
PingTool video (YouTube)
Ping
Object discovery
Adhoc adding
Snapshots
Wake-on-Lan
TCP port check

Network Speedtest
Keyboard shortcuts
Backup / Restore
Transfer to another PC
Repository
Mail notification
User-defined actions
User-defined buttons
Commands
Dashboard
Extended Logging
Command line
Network installation
Rollout via software distribution

PingTool4

PingTool with 12 monitored objects and ping interval 2 seconds - Switch-London has a problem


What's new in version 4.3.0.84 (latest version - 01 Nov 2024)?

User-defined buttons

Sending configurations to other users or computers

Edit multiple objects at the same time

Input fields for actions and commands

Startup/Shutdown Script

Double-click action also for user-defined actions

Dynamic double-click actions

Several new hotkeys, e.g. ESC, Alt-Enter, CTRL-D, Enter

Predefined actions and commands

Improved speedtest

Several minor improvements and bug fixes

 

>> Download PingTool latest version now

 

What was new in version 4.2.0.64 (July 2024)?

Improved menu with "File" and "Home"

Adhoc input field to automate multiple steps

PortCheck version 3.0 integrated, therefore TCP port check on IPv6 addresses possible

Undo and redo button for accidental deletion of objects

Network Speedtest now integrated - can be launched via button

Creation of an HTML file to display the ping status on remote devices or smartphones

Window size and position, column width and font size are now saved

Exchange of objects between two PingTool instances now possible with Copy&Paste

► Filter: AND and NOT are now also possible in the filter

Extended logging possible with time stamp via user-defined action

► Several minor improvements and bug fixes:

       - Comment fields implemented in "User-defined actions" and "Commands"
       - Tab order adjusted in several windows
       - DarkMode now also in the dashboard
       - PortCheck: Sound on alarm and OK possible (high and low tone)
       - Speedtest: Option to enter a description for a speedtest
       - BugFix: "Delete all green/red objects" had deleted all objects with the same host name, regardless of status
       -
BugFix: "Show only open ports" for KnownPorts now works

>> Download PingTool latest version now


What was new in version 4.1.0.48 (April 2024)?

Commands: Execute user-defined commands from PingTool

► Own IP address in window title (via settings)

► Bugs fixed:
       - Request for installation of .NET Framework 3.5 on some systems when checking TCP ports
       - Crash when creating a snapshot with English language settings
       - Not allowed default name when performing a backup with English language settings
       - Sorting by description works again
       - Error when repeatedly adding objects with variable host names
       - Filter for selected objects now works

What was new in version 4.0.0.32 (March 2024)?

Very extensive improvements have been made with version 4.0. But you will recognize the PingTool :).

TCP PortCheck integrated in GUI

Simplified saving and loading of configurations

Import from Excel or text files

► E-mail notification

Real-time log (complete or for single objects)

► Correct sorting by IP addresses

Ping interval adjustable (1 - 120 sec.)

Repositories for professional use --> read more about repositories...

Dark mode

Adjustable double-click action

Cloning objects

Adding objects with variable host names

Backup / restore of all configurations and settings

► Dashboard

User-defined actions --> read more about user-defined actions...

PingMonitor threshold adjustable

Improved performance

...and many, many small improvements

 

What was new in version 3.0.0.24 (March 2022)?

Improved performance

PingTool had the problem in version 2 that with many objects to be pinged (e.g. 200 objects) the CPU load increased strongly. This has been extremely improved.

► Better GUI

Up to version 2, the GUI often had "hangs" in usability, especially with objects that could not be resolved via DNS. This has been fixed.

► Saveable configurations

Configurations can now be saved and loaded at will.

Improved filtering options

The filtering of objects has been greatly improved. Among other things, it is now possible to filter for "responding" or "non-responding" objects with one click.

► "Important TCP ports" can be saved

The important TCP ports can now be adjusted by the user, because every admin considers other TCP ports "important". Simply right click on an object --> PortCheck on objects --> Change.

► Shutdown computers

In addition to "waking up the computer" via Wake-On-Lan, Windows computers can now also be shut down. Appropriate permissions are required.

► Pathping and "PortCheck - important Ports"

In the context menu (right mouse button) there are now additional items "Pathping" and "PortCheck - important ports" for even faster usability.


What was new in version 2.0.0.14?

Portable tool

PingTool is no longer offered as MSI package for download, but as ZIP file. So just unzip and copy it to a directory - for example C:\Program Files (x86)\PingTool - and get started.

► Better filtering option

In the "Filter" field at the top right, you can now filter for multiple objects, separated by a '|' sign.

► Mousewheel

The display size can now be changed via Ctrl + mouse wheel.

TCP port check via command line

The TCP port check can now (alternatively) be called directly as an interactive command line tool. The comfortable option via right mouse button is also available.

► New files path

The user's PingTool files are now located under %localappdata%\PingTool instead of %localappdata%\Temp\PingTool because the Temp directory is regularly deleted in some companies.


Ping

PingTool displays the availability status of network objects in real time by pinging them periodically (ICMP). The objects are displayed in green or red depending on their availability. The response time is also displayed.

Add new objects

Adding new objects is done via the + sign in the upper left corner or via the Adhoc input field..

Add objects from another software

Each object in PingTool corresponds to a file in the %localappdata%\PingTool\Objects directory ("Everything is a file"). This gives you the possibility to add objects also from another software or by script. 

Transfer objects from PingTool to PingTool

To transfer objects from one PingTool instance - for example from an RDP session to another - proceed as follows: Selct the desired objects and press Ctrl-C, then paste it in the other PingTool instance with Ctrl-V.


Object discovery

Discovering objects is done via the + sign --> Scan area. A maximum of 255 objects can be discovered at once. When discovering, it is also possible to determine the host names.

Determine Mac addresses and manufacturers

Click the grid icon at the top left to discover the Mac addresses and vendor names of the existing objects. Note that Mac address discovery works only in your own subnet. The Mac addresses from other subnets are not visible due to the network.


Adhoc
adding

Adhoc adding offers you the option of conveniently adding individual objects to the list and perform additional steps - or only executing certain actions on the object without adding it.

Example 1: You only want to perform a continuous command line ping (-t) on an object without adding it to PingTool.

To do this, enter the host name or IP address of the object in the Adhoc field and click on "Only Ping".

Example 2: You want to add an object to the PingTool list, execute a command line ping and configure the object with your browser on port 443.

To do this, enter the host name or IP address of the object in the Adhoc field. Activate "Add to list" and "Ping". Also activate "HTTPS" in the drop-down field.

In both "TCP Port(s)" fields, you can enter multiple TCP ports - separated by commas. PingTool remembers your Adhoc settings so that you can use them several times in succession to save time.


Snapshots

PingTool offers you the possibility to create one-time or recurring snapshots of the reachability states (responding / not responding) of your objects. A snapshot consists of a text file that contains readable information. To create snapshots on a regular basis, click on the snapshot icon in the upper right corner and specify the time interval in seconds. Snapshots allow you to determine the ping availability including response times over a longer period of time.


Wake-on-Lan

PingTool can wake up computers in the network via Wake-On-Lan. For this purpose, the Magic Packet is sent. Network cards that listen to it are then able to start the computer.The Mac address is used for addressing. This means that computers can only be woken up with PingTool if the Mac address is available. In the own subnet the Mac addresses can be determined automatically (see "Discovern objects").

To wake up a computer, simply right-click on the object and select "Wake up object(s) (Wake-On-Lan)". The computer to be woken up must be prepared for Wake-On-Lan. Learn how to safely get a Wake-On-Lan enabled network in 8 steps in the Wake On Lan Windows 11 tutorial.

Wake-on-Lan to other subnets

The network must be specially configured to wake up computers in other subnets. The routers must allow Wake-On-Lan packets to pass through. Important: The broadcast address of the target network is needed, which can be calculated from the IP address in combination with the subnet mask. PingTool takes care of this for you - you just have to set the correct subnet mask during wake-up.


TCP port check

You can enter a TCP port to be checked in the object properties for each object. If no TCP port is entered, ping is executed (ICMP).

The command line tool PortCheck.exe is integrated in PingTool, so you can comfortably check every object in PingTool if one or more TCP ports are responding. Learn here how to check a TCP port directly with the PortCheck tool.

To check a TCP port of a network object, right-click on the object and select "PortCheck on object(s)". Alternatively, you can also click on the "TCP" sign in the upper left corner to start PortCheck as an interactive command line tool. 

>>> Learn more about the TCP Port Ping


Network Speedtest

PingTool enables you to perform internal network speed tests quickly and easily. All you need as a remote station is a writable network folder. It does not matter whether it is a UNC path or a path with a drive letter.

Of course, you can also use the speed test to measure performance from the home office. And since the PingTool can also be started from a network folder, your ServiceDesk has a tool at its disposal to quickly measure the available bandwidth. Read more about the network speedtest... 


Keyboard shortcuts

For quick work the following keyboard shortcuts can be used in PingTool:

Ctrl-+

Add objects

Del

Delete selected objects

Esc Unselect all objects

Ctrl-O

Open configuration

Ctrl-S

Save configuration

Ctrl-F

Filter

Ctrl-R

Show only red objects

Ctrl-G

Show only green objects

Ctrl-Q

Show all objects

Ctrl-8

Decrease font size

Ctrl-9

Increase font size

Ctrl-0

Font size 100%

F10

Run Dashboard

F11

Full screen

F12

Open realtime log


Backup / Restore

As of PingTool 4, it is possible to perform backups and restores via the three-dots menu (...). A backup includes all the user-based settings like configurations (objects lists) and user-defined actions.

Read more about manual backups and restores...


Transfer to another PC

To move PingTool to another PC, proceed as follows:

  1. Create a backup on the source PC (see above).
  2. Copy the complete directory contents of the source PC, in which the PingTool.exe is located, to the target PC. Alternatively, you can of course also download the latest PingTool version.
  3. Perform a restore on the target PC (see above).


Repository

Create a central repository for configurations. In larger networks, this enables several administrators to access the same, centrally maintained configuration files without searching. A configuration file contains a list of objects that are pinged by PingTool.

Configuration files and repository files are opened via the "File" menu (or Ctrl-O) and have the file extension .cfg. Read more...


Mail notification

PingTool can send mails if an object does not respond. Read more...


User-defined actions

By default, PingTool already offers many options for executing certain actions on one or more objects. Using the context menu (right mouse button), objects can be pinged via the command line, an RDP session can be established or a connection via HTTPs, for example.

However, there are often additional company-specific actions that would be desirable. This is where user-defined actions come into play: create your own actions that can be executed with the right mouse button on one or more objects. Read more...    


User-defined buttons

Create your own buttons with actions that you can apply to one or more objects. The buttons can run predefined actions or actions you have created yourself and appear at the bottom of the screen. This saves you having to use the right mouse button.     


Commands

The "Commands" provide a way to execute frequently used network commands with a single click. These are commands that would otherwise have to be laboriously executed via the command prompt or with many mouse clicks. One example of this is clearing the DNS cache with ipconfig /flushdns. A command that every network user knows and that you need from time to time.

So how do I proceed if I want to save the command in the PingTool? Read more or watch the short video...   

A short video about "Commands". Click on the bitmap to watch.


Dashboard

The PingTool Dashboard provides a simplified view of the pinged objects. It was specially developed to give administrators a good overview of the network in difficult environments. These can be industrial environments, data center rooms or network basements where hardware is being rebuilt or cabling is being renewed.

The Dashboard always runs in addition to the actual PingTool and displays the monitored objects in container form with a green and a red area.

The PingTool Dashboard offers the following functionality:

  • Presentation of objects in simplified form

  • Scaling font size

  • Switching to full screen with F11

  • "Always on top" function

  • Own log for subsequent analysis (F12)

The Dashboard is characterized by the fact that you only need a few mouse clicks or keystrokes. Once it has been started, you can switch to full screen by pressing F11. The scaling font size provides an easy-to-read overview even in difficult environments.  


Extended Logging

With extended logging, it is possible to activate logging with a timestamp for individual or all objects over a longer period (overnight, several days).

Read how you can use extended logging...


Command line

PingTool can be started via the command line (or via a shortcut) in order to specify some settings directly:

PingTool.exe <MyConfigFile>

or

PingTool.exe -config:<MyConfigFile> -interval:<MyInterval> -rundashboard

In the first case, only the configuration file to be opened is specified (important: with the ending .cfg). In the second case, the configuration file, the interval (possible values: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 30, 60 or 120) and the information as to whether the PingTool Dashboard should be started are specified.

Examples:

PingTool.exe "%localappdata%\PingTool\Configs\All Routers.cfg"

PingTool.exe -interval:10

PingTool.exe -config:"%localappdata%\PingTool\Configs\Production machines.cfg" -interval:5 -rundashboard

PingTool.exe -config:"O:\PingTool\Repository - All Switches.cfg" -rundashboard  


Network installation

PingTool can be started directly from a network drive. This means that several administrators can use PingTool without having to worry about software distribution. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Download the current PingTool version (zip file) and unzip it.

  2. Copy the files to a network folder.

  3. Customize the PingTool.ini file. If available, enter a RepositoryPath.

  4. Start PingTool.exe.


Rollout via software distribution

In larger environments, it makes sense to roll out software via a software distribution system. As PingTool is portable, requires no installation routine and makes no registry entries, software distribution is limited to a pure copying process and the creation of a link. Simply edit the PingTool.ini file (enter RepositoryPath, if available) and ensure that all files end up in the C:\Program Files (x86)\PingTool folder, for example. Then add a shortcut to the PingTool.exe - done.


Bug in Version 4.0.0.32: .Net Framework 3.5 is required  for TCP portcheck

In version 4.0.0.32 it can happen in certain constellations that the installation of .Net Framework 3.5 is required when you want to check a TCP port via the GUI.

Solution:

The installation of .Net Framework 3.5 is not necessary! Only a tiny configuration file called PortCheck.exe.config is missing.

You can create the file as follows: Copy the PingTool.exe.config file and rename the copy to PortCheck.exe.config. This solves the problem.

Of course, a patched version will be available for download shortly.

 


Software: PingTool
Category: : PingTool Help / PingTool Tutorial / PingTool Manual

 

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