What is Ping?

Ping (Packet Internet Groper) is a basic Internet command used in computer network administration to test and verify the availability of a destination IP address. It helps users confirm whether the computer they are trying to reach is operational. Ping works by measuring the communication latency which is the time taken for data to travel between two devices or across a network. As communication latency decreases, the effectiveness of communication improves and hence makes it an essential tool for network troubleshooting. It can be used with any operating system (OS) that supports networking.

Ping is important in situations where low latency is required or when speed is more important than the quantity and quality of the information as a low ping time ensures timely delivery of data. Network administrators rely on Ping to track device availability, diagnose network issues, and identify connectivity or latency problems.

How Does Ping Work

• Ping uses a combination of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request and response messages.
• When a network administrator inputs a ping command on the command prompt, an ICMP Echo Request packet is sent to the specified IP Address.
• When the target host receives the echo request and if available or online, it responds with an ICMP Echo Reply packet.
• This method has two different purposes:
  • Ensuring that the target host is available.
  • Calculating round-trip time (RTT) or latency which is a measure of the time it takes to receive a response which is measured in milliseconds (ms).
• The process begins when a browser submits a request to a server and concludes when the server responds.
• In a typical Ping test, several echo requests are sent to the remote host to access its availability.
• On Windows, by default, four echo requests are sent to the target IP address.
• The command prompt shows the result of each request, helping network administrators check whether a response was received.
• The output includes details such as the total number of bytes sent and received during the test.

How to Check the Ping Value of Any Website from Your Server

To check the ping of any website that corresponds to your computer, follow the given steps:

• Open Command Prompt or Terminal:
  • For Windows, press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter.
  • For Mac/Linux, open the Terminal application.
• In the command prompt or terminal, type the following command:

ping<space>[website name]

• Replace [website address] with the URL or IP address of the website you want to check and press Enter. For example, to check YouTube’s ping value:

ping youtube.com

• By default, Ping sends 4 requests on Windows. As you can see in the image below, in response, we received four packets of data from YouTube to determine the minimum, maximum, and average round-trip time(RTT) which are 20ms, 22ms, and 21ms, respectively.

The Role of Ping in Speed Tests

During a speed test, ping measures the latency or round-trip time(RTT) of your internet connection. It is an important performance figure for online applications. It assesses how quickly your connection can respond to requests by sending small data packets to a nearby server and measuring the time it takes for them to return. Low ping is important for real-time applications like gaming and video calls, as high latency can lead to lag and a poor user experience. Therefore, ping provides valuable insights into the responsiveness and overall quality of your internet connection, complementing download and upload speed measurements.

Example:

If an online game streamer has two network options, one with 10ms of ping and 10mbps internet speed, and the other with 100ms of ping and 500mbps internet speed, the gamer will obviously choose the first to interact with the audience in real-time. However, if a user wants to watch YouTube videos and download them, they will select the second option in order to speed up the download process.

How to Use Ping in Troubleshooting

A Ping network test is useful for identifying network connectivity and latency problems.

• If an echo request times out, it suggests configuration issues either on the target system or within the network. It leads to a connection failure.
• Similarly, if the response or echo reply from the target system is delayed, it usually indicates network congestion or latency.
• Network administrators can confirm the delay by reviewing the round-trip time data.
• Additionally, pinging the IPv4 loopback address and default gateway is an effective method for diagnosing network connectivity issues.

What is Ping Spoofing

Ping Spoofing is a type of network attack where an attacker sends fake ICMP Echo Request packets to a target system. The attacker manipulates the IP address in the ping request to appear as though it is coming from a trusted source. The main goal of this attack is to overload or confuse the target system into sending back responses to the spoofed address so that it becomes unavailable to legitimate users.

Risks involved in Ping Spoofing are:

• Denial of Service: The most immediate effect is that the target system or network becomes unavailable for legitimate users.
• Security Vulnerabilities: It can open the door for other forms of attack such as data theft, if the attacker gains more access to the network.
• Network Congestion: It can overload network connections which can lead to packet loss and delayed communication.

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• Computer Networks