glossary.categories.networking
Ping
A network utility that tests connectivity by sending ICMP echo requests.
Definition
Ping is a fundamental network utility that tests the reachability of a host and measures round-trip time by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request packets and waiting for replies. Ping is one of the oldest and most widely used network diagnostic tools, helping identify if a host is online and how long data takes to travel to it. The term comes from sonar terminology.
Examples
Ping Command Output
Typical ping command and response.
$ ping example.com
PING example.com (93.184.216.34): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 93.184.216.34: icmp_seq=0 ttl=56 time=11.632 ms
64 bytes from 93.184.216.34: icmp_seq=1 ttl=56 time=11.726 ms
64 bytes from 93.184.216.34: icmp_seq=2 ttl=56 time=10.683 ms
--- example.com ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 10.683/11.347/11.726/0.459 msUse Cases
Basic connectivity testing
Network troubleshooting
Measuring round-trip latency
Detecting packet loss
Best Practices
- Combine with other tests (HTTP, DNS) for complete picture
- Note that some hosts block ICMP (no reply ≠ down)
- Monitor from multiple locations
- Track trends over time for patterns
FAQ
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