Add a README

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+echoping
+========
+
+echoping **was** a small program to test (approximatively) performances of a remote host by sending it requests such as HTTP requests.
+
+echoping is **no longer** maintained.
+
+To use it, simply:
+
+```
+% echoping machine.somewhere.org
+```
+
+or use the options before the machine name (see the man page).
+
+See the DETAILS file for various traps when benchmarking networks, specially with this program.
+
+In any case, be polite: don't bother the remote host with many repeated requests, especially with large size. Ask for permission if you often test hosts which aren't yours.
+
+Current features:
+
+    * plugins, so you can extend echoping with any protocol you like and/or use,
+    * Supports IPv6 as well as IPv4,
+    * Supports IDN (Unicode domain names like café.gennic.net),
+    * uses the protocols echo, discard, chargen or HTTP,
+    * can use cryptographic connections with HTTP,
+    * uses UDP instead of TCP for the protocols which accept it (like echo),
+    * can repeat the test and display various measures about it, 
+
+Examples of output:
+
+```
+    (Simple test with 1000 bytes echo TCP packets)
+
+    % echoping -v -s 1000 mycisco
+
+    This is echoping, version 5.0.0.
+
+    Trying to connect to internet address 172.21.0.14 7 to transmit 1000 bytes...
+    Connected...
+    TCP Latency: 0.003165 seconds
+    Sent (1000 bytes)...
+    Application Latency: 0.322183 seconds
+    1000 bytes read from server.
+    Checked
+    Elapsed time: 0.326960 seconds
+
+    (Repeated tests with average / mean and median displayed.)
+
+    % echoping -n 10 faraway-machine
+    [...]
+    Minimum time: 6.722336 seconds (38 bytes per sec.)
+    Maximum time: 17.975060 seconds (14 bytes per sec.)
+    Average time: 10.873267 seconds (24 bytes per sec.)
+    Standard deviation: 3.102793
+    Median  time: 9.218506 seconds (28 bytes per sec.)
+
+    (Testing a Web server with an HTTP request for its home page.)
+
+    %  echoping -h / mywww
+    Elapsed time: 0.686792 seconds
+```
+
+The exit status is set if there is any problem, so you can use echoping to test repeatedly a Web server, to be sure it runs fine (SmokePing does it).