Ping

Ping is the name of a computer network tool used on TCP/IP networks (such as the Internet). It provides a basic test of whether a particular host is operating properly and is reachable on the network from the testing host. It works by sending ICMP packets to the target host and listening for replies; its operation is vaguely analogous to sonar in submarines, hence the name.

The tool was written by Mike Muuss.

Related network tools include traceroute.

Sample ping output

Below is a sample output where we ping the wikipedia.com server:

tux@debian:~$ ping -c 5 wikipedia.com
PING wikipedia.com (130.94.122.195): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 130.94.122.195: icmp_seq=0 ttl=235 time=284.3 ms
64 bytes from 130.94.122.195: icmp_seq=1 ttl=235 time=292.9 ms
64 bytes from 130.94.122.195: icmp_seq=2 ttl=235 time=289.7 ms
64 bytes from 130.94.122.195: icmp_seq=3 ttl=235 time=282.4 ms
64 bytes from 130.94.122.195: icmp_seq=4 ttl=235 time=272.0 ms

--- wikipedia.com ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 272.0/284.2/292.9 ms
tux@debian:~$

• The Story of the PING Program by its author, Mike Muuss

Ping is also a character in the book The Story about Ping, by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese (see slashdot review)

Ping is also the name of a river in Thailand, see Ping (river)