#!/usr/local/bin/perl5 -w

use IPC::Open3;
use Symbol;

# .ping contains hostnames, each on a seperate line.
open(HOSTS, "<.ping") || die("Can't open hostsfile! ($!)\n");
@hosts = <HOSTS>;
close(HOSTS);

%PING = ();
%STATUS = (
  -1 => "Host not found",
   0 => "Not done",
   1 => "Host is alive",
   2 => "No reply from host",
);

foreach $host (@hosts) {
  chomp $host;
  $WTR = gensym();
  $RDR = gensym();
  $ERR = gensym();
  $PING{$host}{'PID'} = open3($WTR, $RDR, $ERR, "/sbin/ping -n -q -c 1
+ $host");
  close($WTR);
  while (<$RDR>) { $PING{$host}{'OUT'} .= $_; }
  while (<$ERR>) { $PING{$host}{'ERR'} .= $_; }
  $PING{$host}{'STATUS'} = 0;
}

foreach $host (keys %PING) {
  if(defined($PING{$host}{'ERR'})) {
    if($PING{$host}{'ERR'} =~ /Unknown host/) {
      $PING{$host}{'STATUS'} = -1;
      next;
    }
  }
  if($PING{$host}{'OUT'} =~ /.*, (.*) packets received.*/) {
    $PING{$host}{'STATUS'} = ($1 == 1?1:2);
  }
}

foreach $host (keys %PING) {
  printf "%-30s %s\n", $host, $STATUS{$PING{$host}{'STATUS'}};
}
[download]

According to the docs it supports icmp:

    $p = Net::Ping->new("icmp");
    foreach $host (@host_array)
    {
        print "$host is ";
        print "NOT " unless $p->ping($host, 2);
        print "reachable.\n";
        sleep(1);
    }
    $p->close();
[download]

I see. But taken from the NOTES from these docs:
The icmp protocol requires that the program be run as root or that it be setuid to root. The tcp and udp protocols do not require special privileges, but not all network devices implement the echo protocol for tcp or udp.
I'd rather not use setuid root.