Ping Lookup

What is Ping and how does it work?

A ping (that stands for Packet Internet or Inter-Network Groper) is a simple network program that allows a user to verify and test if a specific destination IPv4 or IPv6 address exists and can accept ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) requests. The acronym "ping" was contrived to be exactly the same as the term used for the sound of a returned sonar pulse on submariners.

Here is an example of a ping request to google.com:

PING google.com(lhr48s48-in-f14.1e100.net (216.58.201.110)) 56 data bytes 64 bytes from lhr48s48-in-f14.1e100.net (216.58.201.110): icmp_seq=1 ttl=114 time=9.05 ms 64 bytes from lhr48s48-in-f14.1e100.net (216.58.201.110): icmp_seq=2 ttl=114 time=9.20 ms 64 bytes from lhr48s48-in-f14.1e100.net (216.58.201.110): icmp_seq=3 ttl=114 time=9.21 ms --- google.com ping statistics --- 3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 5ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 9.052/9.153/9.211/0.071 ms

Diagnose and troubleshoot network problems

Ping is a very popular utility commonly used to diagnose and troubleshoot network and latency problems, ensuring that a host computer the user is trying to reach is operating and online. Any operating system with networking capability can use the ping utility. In Linux Ubuntu and Linux Debian you can install the ping utility with "sudo apt-get install iputils-ping net-tools". On Microsoft Windows 10 the ping utility is installed by default on C:\Windows\system32\PING.exe and can be executed via Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe):

Essentially ping works by sending an ICMP Echo Request (Type 8 message) to a specified address on the network and waiting for a reply (ICMP Echo Reply Type 0 message). When a ping command is executed, a ping signal is sent to the target address. When the target host receives the ICMP ping echo request, it responds by sending an echo reply message.

Network latency in online gaming and esports

If you watch Twitch or online esports you may hear frequently about ping since the network latency and resposne time is very important for online gaming especially for professional gamers that play competitive esports like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, CoD Warzone, Fortnite, League of Legends (LoL). The ping utility can measure the time it takes in milliseconds for the signal to transmit from a gaming PC or console to the remote gaming server. It is measured in milliseconds and a ping rate that goes over 150 ms can generate noticeable lag that can impact the overall gameplay. Generally, professional gamers would say that a ping rate below 50 ms is ideal.

Ping commands for system administrators

Here is a list of popular ping commands you can use:

Ping a host (basic command): ping google.com Force use of IPv4 address instead of IPv6: ping -4 google.com Force use of IPv6 address instead of IPv4: ping -6 google.com Specify the number of packets to be sent: ping -n 2 google.com Redirect ping output to a file: ping google.com > /tmp/ping.log Ping localhost (127.0.0.1): ping 127.0.0.1 Ping router admin panel IP address: ping 192.168.1.2