Good tool for testing socket connections? [closed]
Hercules is fantastic. It's a fully functioning tcp/udp client/server, amazing for debugging sockets. More details on the web site.
netcat (nc.exe) is the right tool. I have a feeling that any tool that does what you want it to do will have exactly the same problem with your antivirus software. Just flag this program as "OK" in your antivirus software (how you do this will depend on what type of antivirus software you use).
Of course you will also need to configure your sysadmin to accept that you're not trying to do anything illegal...