arping

Send ARP requests to discover and test network hosts

TLDR

Ping a host using ARP

$ sudo arping [192.168.1.1]

Ping using a specific interface

$ sudo arping -I [eth0] [192.168.1.1]

Send a specific number of requests

$ sudo arping -c [5] [192.168.1.1]

Detect duplicate IP addresses on the network

$ sudo arping -D [192.168.1.1]

Quit after first reply (check if host is alive)

$ sudo arping -f [192.168.1.1]

SYNOPSIS

arping [-c count] [-I interface] [-D] destination

arping sends ARP requests to a target host and displays responses. Unlike ICMP ping, ARP operates at layer 2 and cannot be blocked by IP firewalls.The tool is useful for verifying layer 2 connectivity, finding MAC addresses, and detecting duplicate IP addresses on a network.

PARAMETERS

-c count

Stop after sending count ARP REQUEST packets.

-I interface

Network interface to send ARP requests on.

-D

Duplicate address detection mode (DAD). See RFC 2131.

-A

ARP reply mode (gratuitous ARP reply).

-U

Unsolicited ARP mode to update neighbours' ARP caches. No replies are expected.

-b

Send only MAC-level broadcasts; do not switch to unicast after reply.

-q

Quiet mode; nothing is displayed.

-s source

Source IP address to use in ARP packets.

-w deadline

Timeout in seconds before exiting regardless of packets sent or received.

-i interval

Interval in seconds between packets.

-f

Quit after the first reply confirming target is alive.

-V

Print version and exit.

CAVEATS

Requires root/sudo for raw socket access. Only works on local network segment. Cannot ping across routers.

HISTORY

arping has existed in various forms since the early 2000s. The most common implementation is in the iputils package maintained as part of Linux networking tools. A separate implementation by Thomas Habets provides additional features.