Re: Network or no network???... That is the question!

The catch is, I need to determine if the network is connected each time I run the scipt.

"Network is connected" can over a lot of ground, and diagnosing the various ways that a network can be "down" can be difficult. If you constraint your requirements to mean "can I connect to the outside world," the problem gets simpler. Merely try to open a socket to a known IP address/port. Say, to a known DNS server. If you can't reach the DNS server, the DNS server itself could be down, but more likely the problem is with cables/routers/whatever.

Comment on Re: Network or no network???... That is the question!

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Re^2: Network or no network???... That is the question! by atcroft (Abbot) on Jun 30, 2002 at 18:02 UTC
As to checking for an IP address, IIRC, on *nix it is often the 'ifconfig' command (check your man or info pages for the needed options), and on Windows (NT, 2K, and XP), the 'ipconfig' command (I can't recall if there is an equivalent for 9x). As to opening a connection to a known IP/port, you could also try pinging the default gateway as well, perhaps using the Net::Ping module.	[reply]
Re: Re^2: Network or no network???... That is the question! by dws (Chancellor) on Jun 30, 2002 at 18:06 UTC
ifconfig/ipconfig will tell you what IP address you were given the last time you acquired a DHCP lease, but they won't tell you that a rat has gnawed through the cat5 leading out of the back of your box unless you invoke the option to renew your lease(s).	[reply]