Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Solution
Using a Graphical User Interface
1.
Open the Enhanced Ping (eping) utility.
2.
Enter the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or the numeric IP address of the
remote host
and click Ping.
3.
Confirm that the remote host responds to the ping command.
4.
Click Quit
to close the eping utility.
Using a Command-Line Interface
The following command confirms that a remote host with an IP address of
192.168.1.103
is
responding:
> ping 192.168.1.103
■
Note
Using the
-a
switch with the
ping
command will attempt to perform a DNS name lookup against
the specified IP address in addition to attempting to determine if the host is online and responding.
How It Works
In TCP/IP networking, the Packet INternet Groper (Ping)
utility is used to verify low-level
connectivity between two TCP/IP-based hosts. Ping relies on the Internet Control Message
Protocol (ICMP) echo function, which is detailed in RFC 792 for ICMPv4 and RFC 2463 for
ICMPv6.
The Ping utility transmits an ICMP packet through the network to a destination DNS name
or IP address. The computer that sent the initial ping will then wait for a return packet. If there
is a valid network connection with the target host, if the target is online and functioning correctly,
and if there is no firewall or other type of filtering device suppressing PING responses between
you and the target computer, the target computer will send a response.
In addition to testing basic network connectivity, you can also use Ping as a basic test of
name resolution. If you are able to ping a remote host by IP address but not by DNS or NetBIOS
name, the issue is likely related to name resolution.
See Also
iToolPad: Extended Ping utility (
http://www.itoolpad.com/products/eping/
)
RFC 792: “Internet Control Message Protocol” (
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc792.html
)
RFC 2463: “Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMPv6) for the Internet Protocol
Version 6 (IPv6) Specification” (
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2463.html
)
Microsoft KB 325487: “How to Troubleshoot Network Connectivity Problems”
