IPv6 Options

-6, --ipv6 (Use IPv6)

Tells Nping to use IP version 6 instead of the default IPv4. It is generally a good idea to specify this option as early as possible in the command line so Nping can parse it soon and know in advance that the rest of the parameters refer to IPv6. The command syntax is the same as usual except that you also add the -6 option. Of course, you must use IPv6 syntax if you specify an address rather than a hostname. An address might look like 3ffe:7501:4819:2000:210:f3ff:fe03:14d0, so hostnames are recommended. While IPv6 hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, it gets significant use in some (usually Asian) countries and most modern operating systems support it. To use Nping with IPv6, both the source and target of your packets must be configured for IPv6. If your ISP (like most of them) does not allocate IPv6 addresses to you, free tunnel brokers are widely available and work fine with Nping. You can use the free IPv6 tunnel broker service at http://www.tunnelbroker.net. Please note that IPv6 support is still highly experimental and many modes and options may not work with it.

-S <addr>, --source-ip <addr> (Source IP Address)

Sets the source IP address. This option lets you specify a custom IP address to be used as source IP address in sent packets. This allows spoofing the sender of the packets. <addr> can be an IPv6 address or a hostname.

--dest-ip <addr> (Destination IP Address)

Adds a target to Nping's target list. This option is provided for consistency but its use is deprecated in favor of plain target specifications. See the section called “Target Specification”.

--flow <label> (Flow Label)

Sets the IPv6 Flow Label. The Flow Label field is 20 bits long and is intended to provide certain quality-of-service properties for real-time datagram delivery. However, it has not been widely adopted, and not all routers or endpoints support it. Check RFC 2460 for more information. <label> must be an integer in the range [0–1048575].

--traffic-class <class> (Traffic Class)

Sets the IPv6 Traffic Class. This field is similar to the TOS field in IPv4, and is intended to provide the Differentiated Services method, enabling scalable service discrimination in the Internet without the need for per-flow state and signaling at every hop. Check RFC 2474 for more information. <class> must be an integer in the range [0–255].

--hop-limit <hops> (Hop Limit)

Sets the IPv6 Hop Limit field in sent packets to the given value. The Hop Limit field specifies how long the datagram is allowed to exist on the network. It represents the number of hops a packet can traverse before being dropped. As with the TTL in IPv4, IPv6 Hop Limit tries to avoid a situation in which undeliverable datagrams keep being forwarded from one router to another endlessly. <hops> must be a number in the range [0–255].