Simple question about command syntax ping/log ping results

**ohalnet** · 07-25-2006, 10:58 AM

Hi all

I am new to linux and need help on a two simple issues. I'll really appreciate if you can help me.

Issue 1. On the command line window of red hat 8.0, I want to ping an IP address continuosly and log the ping results as text file. If it is possible, I want to execute both commands(ping and log) in the same line. What would be the correct command syntax? (I mean I need to execute both ping and log with one "ENTER")

PS: I have to see the ping reply packets on the screen while it is being logged at the same time.

Issue 2. I need to ping 20 IP addresses on 20 command line windows at the same time, log the ping results as well. In other words I need to do Issue one on 20 windows and 20 IP addresses. Could you help me how to create a script about do Issue 2 with one command?

command line window 1: pings and logs 192.168.1.1,
command line window 2: pings and logs 192.168.1.2,
...
...
command line window 10: pings and logs 192.168.1.10

Thank in advance for helping

**redhead** · 07-25-2006, 01:08 PM

First question: take a look at the tee program, in your caseit would be something like:

> ping <your host> | tee log_file.txt

Second question: Theres is no command line way of achieving that.. But you could use the screen program to capture those things..
With a bit of help it should be possible.
Something like:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
# This is a help script, which will start ping and send output to a logfile
# it is called by: script.sh <host> <log file>
ping $1 | tee $2

Code:

#!/bin/sh
# this is the actual script to execute the 20 pings
# it uses the script.sh file in order to fool screen to make seperate logfiles 
# for each screen session, else they're all combined into screenlog.0

screen -d -m -S screen-1 script.sh <host 1> <log file 1>
screen -d -m -S screen-2 script.sh <host 2> <log file 2>
screen -d -m -S screen-3 script.sh <host 3> <log file 3>
...
screen -d -m -S screen-20 script.sh <host 20> <log file 20>

In order to check your progress on this, you can reattach the created screen sessions ie:

> screen -r screen-1

for session 1, and so forth.

If you want to actualy open new windows, then with the use of the use of the script.sh you could do something like:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

xterm -e script.sh <host 1> <log file 1>&
xterm -e script.sh <host 2> <log file 2>&
xterm -e script.sh <host 3> <log file 3>&
...
xterm -e script.sh <host 20> <log file 20>&

Or simply just:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

xterm -e 'ping <host 1> | tee <log file 1>' &
xterm -e 'ping <host 2> | tee <log file 2>' &
xterm -e 'ping <host 3> | tee <log file 3>' &
...
xterm -e 'ping <host 20> | tee <log file 20>' &