diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/ppcmac_ping_addresses.t b/xCAT-test/unit/ppcmac_ping_addresses.t
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..662907d12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/ppcmac_ping_addresses.t
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+use File::Spec;
+use FindBin;
+use Test::More;
+
+my $repo_root = $ENV{XCAT_REPO_ROOT}
+  || File::Spec->catdir( $FindBin::Bin, '..', '..' );
+unshift @INC, File::Spec->catdir( $repo_root, 'perl-xCAT' );
+
+# parse_args never opens the database, so keep the table layer and the
+# driver out of the test
+BEGIN {
+    package xCAT::Table;
+    sub import { }
+    sub new { return bless {}, shift; }
+    $INC{'xCAT/Table.pm'} = 1;
+    $INC{'DBI.pm'}        = 1;
+}
+
+require xCAT::PPCmac;
+
+# xcatd loads the usage table before it dispatches a plugin
+require xCAT::Usage;
+
+# both endpoints resolve through the networks table; one subnet is enough
+# to reach the address checks
+no warnings qw(once redefine);
+local *xCAT::DBobjUtils::getNetwkInfo = sub {
+    my ( $class, $endpoints ) = @_;
+    return map { $_ => { net => '192.0.2.0', gateway => '192.0.2.1' } }
+      @{$endpoints};
+};
+
+sub parse {
+    my (@args) = @_;
+    my $request = { command => 'getmacs', node => ['lpar1'], arg => \@args };
+    return xCAT::PPCmac::parse_args($request);
+}
+
+sub rejection {
+    my ($result) = @_;
+    return ref($result) eq 'ARRAY' ? $result->[0] : undef;
+}
+
+subtest 'valid addresses reach the ping options' => sub {
+    my $result = parse(qw(-D -S 192.0.2.10 -G 192.0.2.1 -C 192.0.2.20));
+    is( ref $result, 'HASH', 'IPv4 endpoints are accepted' );
+    is_deeply(
+        [ @{$result}{qw(C G S)} ],
+        [qw(192.0.2.20 192.0.2.1 192.0.2.10)],
+        'the addresses are kept as given'
+    );
+    $result = parse(qw(-D -S 2001:db8::10 -G 2001:db8::1 -C 2001:db8::20));
+    is( ref $result, 'HASH', 'IPv6 endpoints are accepted' );
+};
+
+subtest 'only the gateway may be all zeros' => sub {
+    my $result = parse(qw(-D -S 192.0.2.10 -G 0.0.0.0 -C 192.0.2.20));
+    is( ref $result, 'HASH', 'an all-zero gateway is accepted' );
+    is( $result->{G}, '0.0.0.0', 'the gateway is passed through' );
+
+    is( rejection( parse(qw(-D -S 0.0.0.0 -G 192.0.2.1 -C 192.0.2.20)) ),
+        'Invalid IP address: 0.0.0.0', 'an all-zero server is rejected' );
+    is( rejection( parse(qw(-D -S 0.0.0.0 -G 0.0.0.0 -C 192.0.2.20)) ),
+        'Invalid IP address: 0.0.0.0',
+        'an all-zero server is rejected even when the gateway is all zeros' );
+    is( rejection( parse(qw(-D -S 192.0.2.10 -G 0.0.0.0 -C 0.0.0.0)) ),
+        'Invalid IP address: 0.0.0.0',
+        'an all-zero client is rejected even when the gateway is all zeros' );
+};
+
+subtest 'malformed addresses are rejected' => sub {
+    is( rejection( parse(qw(-D -S 192.0.2.10 -G 192.0.2.1 -C 192.168.001.010)) ),
+        'Invalid IP address: 192.168.001.010',
+        'leading-zero octets are rejected' );
+    is( rejection( parse(qw(-D -S 192.0.2.10 -G 192.0.2.1 -C 999.1.1.1)) ),
+        'Invalid IP address: 999.1.1.1', 'an octet above 255 is rejected' );
+    is( rejection( parse(qw(-D -S not:an:ip -G 192.0.2.1 -C 192.0.2.20)) ),
+        'Invalid IP address: not:an:ip', 'colon text is not an address' );
+};
+
+done_testing();