ping.sh

#!/bin/bash
# First argument is the host to ping
# Second argument is the RRD-file to update

PING=/bin/ping
COUNT=4
DEADLINE=30
ping_host() {
	local output=$($PING -q -n -c $COUNT -w $DEADLINE $1 2>&1)
	# notice $output is quoted to preserve newlines
	local temp=$(echo "$output"| gawk '
	BEGIN {pl=100; rtt=0.1}
	/packets transmitted/ {
		match($0, /([0-9]+)% packet loss/, matchstr)
		pl=matchstr[1]
	}
	/^rtt/ {
		# looking for something like 0.562/0.566/0.571/0.024
		match($4, /(.*)\/(.*)\/(.*)\/(.*)/, a)
		rtt=a[2]
	}
	/unknown host/ {
		# no output at all means network is probably down
		pl=100
		rtt=0.1
	}
	END {print pl ":" rtt}
	')
	RETURN_VALUE=$temp
}

# ping a host on the local lan
ping_host $1
/usr/bin/rrdtool update \
$2 \
--template \
pl:rtt \
N:$RETURN_VALUE