Ping command basics for testing your network
The ping command might seams too basic for many people, but it is still around, and there is a reason for that. It is one of the fastest and easiest ways to find out if a particular device is connected. Just ping it, and in a matter of moments, you will see a clear answer.
Interesting examples of the Ping command!
What is the Ping command?
The Ping command is a command that you can find on various Oses, including Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, and more. It serves to check if there is a direct connection between your device (the origin of the command) and the target (the IP address or domain name of the one you want to check). It uses Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets that it sends to the target. The target should receive them and answer back with echo messages. The echo message travels back to the origin and shows a statistic that includes the time it took to reach the target and if there were any lost packets.
How to use it?
On Windows devices, there are two ways to use the Ping command – through the Command Prompt or through the Windows PowerShell.
On macOS and Linux, you can use it through the Terminal application.
What can you test with the Ping command?
- See if a particular device like your server is connected at the moment. If it is reachable, that means there is a connection between you and the target.
- See if the target responds fast enough. You can check the target on a regular basis and write it down. If the target responds slower than usual, there might be a problem that you can further explore.
- You can check different parts of the network and see if there is a bottleneck.
- Keep the Ping command constantly on so you can monitor the target constantly. This can be used with your server so you can be sure it is working normally.
Examples of the Ping command
No matter the OS and the Software you are using (Command Prompt, Terminal, etc.), you can ping a target using their domain name or their IP address.
ping www.google.com
ping 172.217.169.142
How to get additional options for the Ping command?
There are many more options that you can use with this command. You can adjust the number of the pings sent, set an interval between them, extend or shorten the TTL, and more.
On Windows, you can write the following in the Command Prompt and see all the options:
ping -?
On macOS, you can write the following in the Terminal and see all the options:
ping -h
On Linux, you can write the following in the Terminal and see all the options:
ping -h
Conclusion.
So, the Ping command is a basic tool for testing devices on your network. It can be found on almost any OS and works almost the same on them. Send ICMP messages and see how long it takes them to return the echo. Simple and perfect.