How to ping an IP address in Delphi 10.1 without using Indy components?

Question

How to ping an IP address (or by server name) in Delphi 10.1 without using Indy components? TIdICMPClient works with elevated privileges but I want to do it as a normal user.

Answer 1

Use the Windows API.

Something like this crude translation from: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366050(v=vs.85).aspx
Should do the trick.

var
  ICMPFile: THandle;
  IpAddress: ULONG;
  SendData: array[0..31] of AnsiChar;
  ReplyBuffer: PICMP_ECHO_REPLY;
  ReplySize: DWORD;
  NumResponses: DWORD;
begin
  IpAddress:= inet_addr('127.0.0.1');
  SendData := 'Data Buffer';

  IcmpFile := IcmpCreateFile;
  if IcmpFile <> INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE then
    try
      ReplySize:= SizeOf(ICMP_ECHO_REPLY) + SizeOf(SendData);
      GetMem(ReplyBuffer, ReplySize);
      try
        NumResponses := IcmpSendEcho(IcmpFile, IPAddress, @SendData, SizeOf(SendData),
                      nil, ReplyBuffer, ReplySize, 1000);
        if (NumResponses <> 0) then begin
          Writeln(Format('Received %d icmp message responses', [NumResponses]));
          Writeln('Information from the first response:');
          Writeln(Format('Received from %s', [inet_ntoa(in_addr(ReplyBuffer.Address))]));
          Writeln(Format('Data: %s', [PAnsiChar(ReplyBuffer.Data)]));
          Writeln(Format('Status = %d', [ReplyBuffer.Status]));
          WriteLn(Format('Roundtrip time = %d milliseconds',[ReplyBuffer.RoundTripTime]));
        end else begin
          WriteLn('Call to IcmpSendEcho failed');
          WriteLn(Format('IcmpSendEcho returned error: %d', [GetLastError]));
        end;
      finally
        FreeMem(ReplyBuffer);
      end;
    finally
      IcmpCloseHandle(IcmpFile);
    end
  else begin
    Writeln('Unable to open handle');
    Writeln(Format('IcmpCreateFile returned error: %d', [GetLastError]));
  end;