Net::Ping::External is a module which interfaces with the ping(1) command on the system. It presently provides a single function, ping(), that takes in a hostname and (optionally) a timeout and returns true if the host is alive, and false otherwise. Unless you have the ability (and willingness) to run your scripts as the superuser on your system, this module will probably provide more accurate results than Net::Ping (bundled with the perl base installation) will.
WWW: http://search.cpan.org/dist/Net-Ping-External/
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