Hi,
> How do you guys detect dead peers?  Actively via a ping or passively via
> the 'latest handshake' (once it gets past a certain age, you assume the
> peer is offline).  Are their other options?
You can't passively determine that a peer is offline, only that it isn't.
It might just not have anything to send at the moment.

So, yes, ping it.

-- 
-- Matthias Urlichs