Not to be too picky, but your ping command almost certainly _does_ require root permissions.

Yes, ping needs root privileges and yes, blm's statement about the "binary ping command that does not need root level permissions" suggested otherwise. However, I think what he meant is that a user usually doesn't have to have root privs to execute ping. This is true because ping generally has its setuid bit on and is owned by root.

-sauoq
"My two cents aren't worth a dime.";