Introducing a variable into the ping command

On Tue, 23 Jan 2018 19:41:11 -0800, Mike Easter
wrote:

Nil wrote:

An alternative utility is Curl.

I like

curl icanhazip.com

in linux.

The WAN IP result is 'clean' and free of any html.

Nice find. That's about as clean as anything I've seen.

# curl icanhazip.com
170.22.86.205

Or this, to see a little more about what's happening:

# curl -v icanhazip.com
* About to connect() to icanhazip.com port 80 (#0)
* Trying 69.162.69.148... connected
* Connected to icanhazip.com (69.162.69.148) port 80 (#0)
GET / HTTP/1.1
User-Agent: curl/7.19.7 (x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu) libcurl/7.19.7 OpenSSL/1.0.1l zlib/1.2.3 libidn/1.18
Host: icanhazip.com
Accept: */*

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Server: nginx
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2018 05:14:57 GMT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Length: 15
Connection: close
X-SECURITY: This site DOES NOT distribute malware. Get the facts.
https://goo.gl/1FhVpg
X-RTFM: Learn about this site at http://bit.ly/icanhazip-faq and do
not abuse the service.
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET

170.22.86.205
* Closing connection #0


--

Char Jackson

Of recent note Char Jackson wrote:


Nice find. That's about as clean as anything I've seen.

# curl icanhazip.com
170.22.86.205

What I like about the curl is that it will be unambiguous that the network
changed.

1) On network 1, the curl will return the network 1 IP address.
2) If that network socket stays constant, you're kosher.
3) But if the network drops back, accidentally, to your ISP...
4) Then the curl "should" show a *different* IP address instantly.
Right?

If so, then using curl should be enough to tell that the network 1 failed,
dropping you back to your ISP. Right?

Now the trick will be to get "curl" working on Windows.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9507353/how-do-i-install-set-up-and-use-curl-on-windows#16216825
https://thecustomizewindows.com/2012/07/installing-curl-in-windows-to-run-curl-commands-natively/

Of recent note Timofei Krasniqi wrote:


I found, in testing, a huge flaw in the Nirsoft method!

The "socket" for the pinger method hangs, which is what you want!
http://i.cubeupload.com/Uk2KfP.jpg

But, for whatever reason, Nirsoft just picks up with the "new" socket!
http://i.cubeupload.com/IZ7UPh.jpg

Unless that propensity to pick up where Nirsoft left off is able to be
turned off, it makes the NirSoft method useless because it's "reliable".

What we want is a tool to detect the network change!

Oh oh. I may have made a mistake above.
I really do not understand this "socket" stuff, and, yes, I've googled it
and I have never found a simple explanation that I really understand.

Anyway, it appears the only reason the ping hung up was because I
highlighted a line so I could tell if it was moving, and *that* hung the
ping up, not the socket.

So, both the ping and Nirsoft are "too good" in that they "recover" from a
lost socket connection, which isn't what I want.

When the network *changes*, I want the ping or Nirsoft to fail.

The ping just happily pings using the *new* socket, which isn't what I
want.

At least Nirsoft, which also starts using the *new* socket, shows a
momentary *red spot* if you're lucky, where it skips a connection but all
that depends on the frequency of test.

Darn. Maybe the "curl" of "icanhazip.com" on Windows is better because it
would at least report a *different IP address* when the connection changes.

But where is the tutorial to get curl working on Windows?

Of recent note Timofei Krasniqi wrote:


Now the trick will be to get "curl" working on Windows.

To give back, I documented it working up to steps #14 and #15 below.
In step 14, the cmd window goes away when we run "curler.bat".

What do we need to add to JJ's batch file to keep the cmd window open?

1) Visit the curl download-wizard page: https://curl.haxx.se/dlwiz/
2) Select the "Type of Package: curl executable"
3) Select the "Operating System: Win64"
4) Select for "What Flavour: Generic"
5) Select which "Win64 version: Any"
6) Select for "What CPU: x86_64"
7) You end up with the download link:
https://bintray.com/artifact/downloa...win64-mingw.7z
8) Unpack "curl-7.57.0-win64-mingw.7z" to ".\curl-7.57.0-win64-mingw\"
9) Test it quickly:
Start Run %windir%\system32\cmd.exe /K "C:\path\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com"
10) Make a curl.lnk shortcut to ".\curl-7.57.0-win64-mingw\bin\curl.exe"
11) Move that shortcut to Start Programs Scripts curl.lnk
12) Edit the shortcut target from "C:\path\curl\bin\curl.exe"
to Target = %windir%\system32\cmd.exe /K "C:\path\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com"
Comment = Reports current WAN IP address
13) Test that shortcut:
Start Programs Scripts curl.lnk
14) Create a batch file "C:\path\curl\bin\curler.bat"
(based on JJ's previous suggestion)
REM Run the curl command to get your IP address
@echo off
setlocal
set n=%1
if "%n%" == "" (
set /p "n=Enter host/IP (leave empty for icanhazip.com): "
)
if "%n%" == "" set n=icanhazip.com
curl %n%

HELP: This works - but the window disappears instantly.
How do we make the window remain?

15) Create a new "App Path" 'String' key so that "Start Run" works.
Start Run curler OK

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\curler.exe
(Default) = C:\path\curl\bin\curler.bat

Note that "curler.exe" is just an arbitrary name which must end with
".exe" where an actual file "curler.exe" should not actually exist.

In step 14 above, the command window goes away when we run "curler.bat".
What do we need to add to JJ's batch file to keep the cmd window open?

On 24 Jan 2018, Timofei Krasniqi wrote
in alt.windows7.general:

In step 14 above, the command window goes away when we run
"curler.bat". What do we need to add to JJ's batch file to keep
the cmd window open?

PAUSE

On 23 Jan 2018, Mike Easter wrote in
alt.windows7.general:

I like

curl icanhazip.com

in linux.

The WAN IP result is 'clean' and free of any html.

I like that, too! You can get both the IPv4 and 6 addresses. Cool!
Thanks for the tip.


I believe there are Win32 & Win64 available as well.

https://curl.haxx.se/download.html

Of recent note Nil wrote:


In step 14 above, the command window goes away when we run
"curler.bat". What do we need to add to JJ's batch file to keep
the cmd window open?

PAUSE

Thank you for that help.
Inserting a trailing "pause" worked perfectly.

Only one thing left to mimic the original "ping" question with "curl" which
is to loop it forever (which "ping -t" did).

I'll look for the "-t" option in the copious results from:
curl.exe --help curl.help.txt
curl.exe --manual curl.man.txt

Huh? I just went through every line of curl.help.txt and there's no option
to keep doing it. That's strange. Let me look at the manpage.

Hmmm.... the "-retry" seems to be the closest analog to "pint -t" but the
retry option in curl seems to only be for errors.

Did I miss something?
Does curl have the equivalent of a "ping -t" which repeats the command?

On Wed, 24 Jan 2018 16:48:47 +0000 (UTC), Timofei Krasniqi
wrote:

Only one thing left to mimic the original "ping" question with "curl" which
is to loop it forever (which "ping -t" did).

I'll look for the "-t" option in the copious results from:
curl.exe --help curl.help.txt
curl.exe --manual curl.man.txt

Huh? I just went through every line of curl.help.txt and there's no option
to keep doing it. That's strange. Let me look at the manpage.

Hmmm.... the "-retry" seems to be the closest analog to "pint -t" but the
retry option in curl seems to only be for errors.

Did I miss something?
Does curl have the equivalent of a "ping -t" which repeats the command?

On your Linux host, you could wrap it in 'watch':

watch -n60 curl icanhazip.com

--

Char Jackson

Of recent note Char Jackson wrote:

On your Linux host, you could wrap it in 'watch':

watch -n60 curl icanhazip.com

Linux is always easy compared to Windows for batch scripting.

This should work though.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2591758/batch-script-loop#2591782

This was tested to work, where it will report the IP address every second
for 100 seconds when I hit "Start Run curler OK".

@echo off
goto actual
set /a loopcount=0
:actual
set /a loopcount=%loopcount% + 1
C:\path\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com
timeout 1 /nobreaknul
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop
goto actual
:stop
exit

Of recent note Timofei Krasniqi wrote:


This was tested to work, where it will report the IP address every second
for 100 seconds when I hit "Start Run curler OK".

Slowly I'm realizing, belatedly, that the right approach is something like
this flow chart.

1. Save your original ISP IP address (which we'll call OLD_IP)
2. Switch networks and run curl and save the NEW_IP
3. Keep running curl, comparing the IP address
4. The moment the IP address changes - you ring an alarm

On Thu, 25 Jan 2018 02:01:35 +0000 (UTC), Timofei Krasniqi
wrote:

This was tested to work, where it will report the IP address every second

I'd be hesitant to hit it every second because of the note (in a header)
from the site admin:

X-RTFM: Learn about this site at http://bit.ly/icanhazip-faq and do not
abuse the service.

I don't know what he considers abuse. At least you're stopping after a
finite number of hits.

for 100 seconds when I hit "Start Run curler OK".

@echo off
goto actual
set /a loopcount=0
:actual
set /a loopcount=%loopcount% + 1
C:\path\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com
timeout 1 /nobreaknul
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop
goto actual
:stop
exit

I think I'd swap these two lines.
goto actual
set /a loopcount=0

Or better yet, just remove that instance of "goto actual". It looks
superfluous.

--

Char Jackson

Of recent note Char Jackson wrote:


I think I'd swap these two lines.
goto actual
set /a loopcount=0

Thanks for that advice, as that seems to work fine.
@echo off
REM curler.bat {Returns IP address to doublecheck network status}
REM WIP MUST = add a *compare* of the NEW_IP with the OLD_IP & ring alarm
REM WIP SHOULD = figure out how to put the time & the same line as IP
REM WIP COULD = get a hours:minutes:seconds time stamp
REM goto actual
set /a loopcount=0
goto actual
:actual
set /a loopcount=%loopcount% + 1
time /T
C:\apps\browser\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com
timeout 1 /nobreaknul
goto actual
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop
:stop
exit

Or better yet, just remove that instance of "goto actual". It looks
superfluous.

Thanks for following the logic, as I don't really understand this stuff.
That works fine too!

@echo off
REM curler.bat {Returns IP address to doublecheck network status}
REM WIP MUST = add a *compare* of the NEW_IP with the OLD_IP & ring alarm
REM WIP SHOULD = figure out how to put the time & the same line as IP
REM WIP COULD = get a hours:minutes:seconds time stamp
REM goto actual
set /a loopcount=0
:actual
set /a loopcount=%loopcount% + 1
time /T
C:\apps\browser\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com
timeout 1 /nobreaknul
goto actual
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop
:stop
exit

On Thu, 25 Jan 2018 14:55:45 +0000 (UTC), Timofei Krasniqi
wrote:

Of recent note Char Jackson wrote:


I think I'd swap these two lines.
goto actual
set /a loopcount=0

Thanks for that advice, as that seems to work fine.
@echo off
REM curler.bat {Returns IP address to doublecheck network status}
REM WIP MUST = add a *compare* of the NEW_IP with the OLD_IP & ring alarm
REM WIP SHOULD = figure out how to put the time & the same line as IP
REM WIP COULD = get a hours:minutes:seconds time stamp
REM goto actual
set /a loopcount=0
goto actual
:actual
set /a loopcount=%loopcount% + 1
time /T
C:\apps\browser\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com
timeout 1 /nobreaknul
goto actual
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop
:stop
exit

Or better yet, just remove that instance of "goto actual". It looks
superfluous.

Thanks for following the logic, as I don't really understand this stuff.
That works fine too!

@echo off
REM curler.bat {Returns IP address to doublecheck network status}
REM WIP MUST = add a *compare* of the NEW_IP with the OLD_IP & ring alarm
REM WIP SHOULD = figure out how to put the time & the same line as IP
REM WIP COULD = get a hours:minutes:seconds time stamp
REM goto actual
set /a loopcount=0
:actual
set /a loopcount=%loopcount% + 1
time /T
C:\apps\browser\curl\bin\curl.exe icanhazip.com
timeout 1 /nobreaknul
goto actual
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop
:stop
exit

Looks like it'll loop forever now. Somehow, these two lines got swapped
with each other. They need to be in the opposite order so that you check
the value of the variable (and optionally skip to ":stop" before jumping
back to the top at ":actual".

goto actual
if %loopcount%== 100 goto stop

--

Char Jackson

On 25 Jan 2018, Char Jackson wrote in
alt.windows7.general:

I'd be hesitant to hit it every second because of the note (in a
header) from the site admin:

X-RTFM: Learn about this site at http://bit.ly/icanhazip-faq and
do not abuse the service.

I don't know what he considers abuse. At least you're stopping
after a finite number of hits.

Yes, Please, OP, don't hammer his site like that. He's doing us all a
favor, one which I am now taking advantage of once a day. Hitting a web
site every second starts to look like a DOS attack and would NOT be
appreciated by anyone. He will be able to block your requests but it
will still affect his service negatively.

On Thu, 25 Jan 2018 21:58:26 -0500, Nil
wrote:

On 25 Jan 2018, Char Jackson wrote in
alt.windows7.general:

I'd be hesitant to hit it every second because of the note (in a
header) from the site admin:

X-RTFM: Learn about this site at http://bit.ly/icanhazip-faq and
do not abuse the service.

I don't know what he considers abuse. At least you're stopping
after a finite number of hits.

Yes, Please, OP, don't hammer his site like that. He's doing us all a
favor, one which I am now taking advantage of once a day. Hitting a web
site every second starts to look like a DOS attack and would NOT be
appreciated by anyone. He will be able to block your requests but it
will still affect his service negatively.

"This is why we can't have nice things." :-)

--

Char Jackson