mysql ping hangs application

[Herschelle G]

i am trying to monitor the status of the mysql service on a server that my application connects to. when i use the mysql ping function, if the service is stopped on the server, the ping function hangs my application.

i cannot use the dos ping as this does not tell me if the service is running on the server. it only tells me that the server is up.

is there a better way of doing this, or am i using the ping function incorrectly.
my usage: mysqladmin ping -h(server id) -u(user) -p(password)

thanx.