This example shows how to "ping" another machine using Microsoft's ICMP.DLL. This DLL is an undocumented API for sending ICMP echo packets, also called "pings," after the submariner's term for sonar signals. This API works fine and is present on all current Windows boxes with Microsoft Winsocks, but Microsoft says they'll replace it as soon as something better comes along. (Microsoft's been saying this since the Windows 95 days, however, yet this functionality still exists in Windows 2000.)

For more information on the ICMP.DLL API, check out sockets.com's ICMP API page. There is also a ping example program on MarkG's Win32 page; the following console mode program was distilled from his GUI version.

By the way, you might be wondering why the program has to load the ICMP.DLL manually and get the procedure addresses manually. I'm not sure of the reasons, but I spent an hour trying to get import libraries and DEF files to work. I can only suggest that some higher power is dead set against you linking this way. :-)

dllping.cpp

// Borland C++ 5.0: bcc32.cpp ping.cpp
// Visual C++ 5.0:  cl ping.cpp wsock32.lib

#include <iostream.h>
#include <winsock.h>
#include <windowsx.h>
#include "icmpdefs.h"

int doit(int argc, char* argv[])
{
    // Check for correct command-line args
    if (argc < 2) {
        cerr << "usage: ping <host>" << endl;
        return 1;
    }
    
    // Load the ICMP.DLL
    HINSTANCE hIcmp = LoadLibrary("ICMP.DLL");
    if (hIcmp == 0) {
        cerr << "Unable to locate ICMP.DLL!" << endl;
        return 2;
    }

    // Look up an IP address for the given host name
    struct hostent* phe;
    if ((phe = gethostbyname(argv[1])) == 0) {
        cerr << "Could not find IP address for " << argv[1] << endl;
        return 3;
    }

    // Get handles to the functions inside ICMP.DLL that we'll need
    typedef HANDLE (WINAPI* pfnHV)(VOID);
    typedef BOOL (WINAPI* pfnBH)(HANDLE);
    typedef DWORD (WINAPI* pfnDHDPWPipPDD)(HANDLE, DWORD, LPVOID, WORD,
            PIP_OPTION_INFORMATION, LPVOID, DWORD, DWORD); // evil, no?
    pfnHV pIcmpCreateFile;
    pfnBH pIcmpCloseHandle;
    pfnDHDPWPipPDD pIcmpSendEcho;
    pIcmpCreateFile = (pfnHV)GetProcAddress(hIcmp,
            "IcmpCreateFile");
    pIcmpCloseHandle = (pfnBH)GetProcAddress(hIcmp,
            "IcmpCloseHandle");
    pIcmpSendEcho = (pfnDHDPWPipPDD)GetProcAddress(hIcmp,
            "IcmpSendEcho");
    if ((pIcmpCreateFile == 0) || (pIcmpCloseHandle == 0) || 
            (pIcmpSendEcho == 0)) {
        cerr << "Failed to get proc addr for function." << endl;
        return 4;
    }

    // Open the ping service
    HANDLE hIP = pIcmpCreateFile();
    if (hIP == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
        cerr << "Unable to open ping service." << endl;
        return 5;
    }
   
    // Build ping packet
    char acPingBuffer[64];
    memset(acPingBuffer, '\xAA', sizeof(acPingBuffer));
    PIP_ECHO_REPLY pIpe = (PIP_ECHO_REPLY)GlobalAlloc(
            GMEM_FIXED | GMEM_ZEROINIT,
            sizeof(IP_ECHO_REPLY) + sizeof(acPingBuffer));
    if (pIpe == 0) {
        cerr << "Failed to allocate global ping packet buffer." << endl;
        return 6;
    }
    pIpe->Data = acPingBuffer;
    pIpe->DataSize = sizeof(acPingBuffer);      

    // Send the ping packet
    DWORD dwStatus = pIcmpSendEcho(hIP, *((DWORD*)phe->h_addr_list[0]), 
            acPingBuffer, sizeof(acPingBuffer), NULL, pIpe, 
            sizeof(IP_ECHO_REPLY) + sizeof(acPingBuffer), 5000);
    if (dwStatus != 0) {
        cout << "Addr: " <<
                int(LOBYTE(LOWORD(pIpe->Address))) << "." <<
                int(HIBYTE(LOWORD(pIpe->Address))) << "." <<
                int(LOBYTE(HIWORD(pIpe->Address))) << "." <<
                int(HIBYTE(HIWORD(pIpe->Address))) << ", " <<
                "RTT: " << int(pIpe->RoundTripTime) << "ms, " <<
                "TTL: " << int(pIpe->Options.Ttl) << endl;
    }
    else {
        cerr << "Error obtaining info from ping packet." << endl;
    }

    // Shut down...
    GlobalFree(pIpe);
    FreeLibrary(hIcmp);
    return 0;
}

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
    WSAData wsaData;
    if (WSAStartup(MAKEWORD(1, 1), &wsaData) != 0) {
        return 255;
    }

    int retval = doit(argc, argv);

    WSACleanup();
    return retval;
}

icmpdefs.h

// Structures required to use functions in ICMP.DLL

typedef struct {
    unsigned char Ttl;                         // Time To Live
    unsigned char Tos;                         // Type Of Service
    unsigned char Flags;                       // IP header flags
    unsigned char OptionsSize;                 // Size in bytes of options data
    unsigned char *OptionsData;                // Pointer to options data
} IP_OPTION_INFORMATION, * PIP_OPTION_INFORMATION;

typedef struct {
    DWORD Address;                             // Replying address
    unsigned long  Status;                     // Reply status
    unsigned long  RoundTripTime;              // RTT in milliseconds
    unsigned short DataSize;                   // Echo data size
    unsigned short Reserved;                   // Reserved for system use
    void *Data;                                // Pointer to the echo data
    IP_OPTION_INFORMATION Options;             // Reply options
} IP_ECHO_REPLY, * PIP_ECHO_REPLY;