What is the ping command and how is it used?

Ping uses ICMP Echo Request/Reply to test connectivity to an IPv4 or IPv6 host, reporting the success rate and average round-trip time. No reply within the timeout produces a timeout message.

The Ping Command:

A network utility that uses ICMP Echo Request and Echo Reply messages to test connectivity.

Basic Syntax:

ping <destination>
ping 192.168.10.1
ping 2001:db8:acad:1::1

What ping provides:

• Whether the destination is reachable
• Round-trip time (RTT) - how long the reply took
• Success rate - percentage of replies received

Example output:

Pinging 192.168.10.2 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.10.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.10.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 192.168.10.2:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss)

Common ping results:

Go deeper:

• Ping (networking utility) — Wikipedia — syntax, RTT statistics, and how to read ping output across platforms.
• ICMP, Ping & Traceroute Explained — Sunny Classroom — visual intro to using ping for connectivity testing.