The MAC ping OAM tool makes it possible to detect whether a particular MAC address has been learned in a VPLS.
The cpe-ping command extends this capability and can detect end-station IP addresses inside a VPLS. A CPE ping for a specific destination IP address within a VPLS will be translated to a MAC ping towards a broadcast MAC address. Upon receiving such a MAC ping, each peer PE within the VPLS context will trigger an ARP request for the specific IP address. The PE receiving a response to this ARP request will report back to the requesting 7705 SAR. Operators are encouraged to use the source IP address of 0.0.0.0 in order to prevent the provider's IP address from being learned by the CE.