Network Ping Monitor - Setup Guide

A Python-based network monitoring tool that continuously pings multiple IP addresses and logs the results with automatic log rotation.

Features

• Monitor up to 6 IP addresses simultaneously (DNS, Gateway, and 4 custom IPs)
• Automatic log rotation (keeps 7 days of hourly logs)
• Configurable via environment variables
• Runs as a systemd service for continuous monitoring
• Detailed logging with timestamps and response times

Requirements

System Requirements

• Linux operating system (Ubuntu/Debian recommended)
• Python 3.10 or higher
• Root/sudo access (required for ICMP ping operations)

Python Dependencies

• ping3 - For sending ICMP ping requests
• python-dotenv - For loading environment variables from .env file

Installation

1. Install System Dependencies

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install Python 3 and venv support
sudo apt install python3 python3-venv python3-pip -y

2. Setup Project Directory

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv

# Activate virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate

# Install Python dependencies
pip install ping3 python-dotenv

# Deactivate virtual environment
deactivate

3. Clone this repo master branch

Clone this repo under /home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/ with the monitoring script.

4. update Environment Configuration

open file named ping.env in the same directory:

DNS=1.1.1.1
GATEWAY=192.168.10.1
EXTRA=8.8.8.8
EXTRA2=192.168.1.10
EXTRA3=192.168.1.20
EXTRA4=192.168.1.30

Configuration Options:

• DNS - Primary DNS server to monitor (default: 1.1.1.1)
• GATEWAY - Your network gateway/router (default: 192.168.10.1)
• EXTRA - Optional additional IP address
• EXTRA2 - Optional additional IP address
• EXTRA3 - Optional additional IP address
• EXTRA4 - Optional additional IP address

5. Test the Script

# Navigate to project directory
cd ~/ping

# Run the script manually (requires sudo for ICMP)
sudo ./venv/bin/python ping.py

Press Ctrl+C to stop. Check that ping.log is created in the same directory.

Running as a System Service

1. Create Systemd Service File

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/ping-monitor.service

Add the following content (replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username):

[Unit]
Description=Network Ping Monitor
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping
ExecStart=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/venv/bin/python /home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/ping.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

2. Enable and Start the Service

# Reload systemd to recognize the new service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Enable service to start on boot
sudo systemctl enable ping-monitor

# Start the service
sudo systemctl start ping-monitor

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status ping-monitor

Managing the Service

Service Control Commands

# Start the service
sudo systemctl start ping-monitor

# Stop the service
sudo systemctl stop ping-monitor

# Restart the service
sudo systemctl restart ping-monitor

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status ping-monitor

# Enable auto-start on boot
sudo systemctl enable ping-monitor

# Disable auto-start on boot
sudo systemctl disable ping-monitor

Viewing Logs

# View systemd service logs (live)
sudo journalctl -u ping-monitor -f

# View last 50 lines of service logs
sudo journalctl -u ping-monitor -n 50

# View the actual ping log file
tail -f /home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/ping.log

# View ping log with less
less /home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/ping.log

Log Files

Log Location

• Main log file: /home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/ping.log
• Rotated logs: ping.log.YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS (automatically created)

Log Rotation

• Logs rotate every hour
• Keeps 168 hours (7 days) of history
• Old logs are automatically deleted

Log Format

YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS - LEVEL - Message

Example log entries:

2026-02-02 11:15:30 - INFO - Ping to 1.1.1.1 successful. Response time: 12.45 ms
2026-02-02 11:15:31 - WARNING - Ping to 192.168.10.1 failed.
2026-02-02 11:15:32 - ERROR - Error pinging 8.8.8.8: timeout

Troubleshooting

Service Won't Start

1. Check service status:

sudo systemctl status ping-monitor

2. View detailed logs:

sudo journalctl -u ping-monitor -n 100

3. Verify Python path in service file matches your installation:

ls -l /home/YOUR_USERNAME/ping/venv/bin/python

Module Not Found Errors

Ensure packages are installed in the virtual environment:

cd ~/ping
source venv/bin/activate
pip list | grep -E "ping3|python-dotenv"
deactivate

If missing:

source venv/bin/activate
pip install ping3 python-dotenv
deactivate
sudo systemctl restart ping-monitor

No Logs Being Created

1. Check working directory permissions:

ls -ld ~/ping

2. Manually create log file:

sudo touch ~/ping/ping.log
sudo chown root:root ~/ping/ping.log

3. Run script manually to see errors:

cd ~/ping
sudo ./venv/bin/python ping.py

Uninstalling

# Stop and disable the service
sudo systemctl stop ping-monitor
sudo systemctl disable ping-monitor

# Remove service file
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/ping-monitor.service

# Reload systemd
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Remove project directory
rm -rf ~/ping

Project Structure

~/ping/
├── ping.py              # Main Python script
├── ping.env             # Environment configuration
├── ping.log             # Current log file
├── ping.log.2026-02-01_* # Rotated log files
└── venv/                # Virtual environment
    ├── bin/
    │   └── python       # Python interpreter
    └── lib/
        └── python3.*/
            └── site-packages/  # Installed packages

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the troubleshooting section above
2. Review systemd logs: sudo journalctl -u ping-monitor -n 100
3. Test the script manually: sudo ~/ping/venv/bin/python ~/ping/ping.py

License

This script is provided as-is for network monitoring purposes.