Ping is used diagnostically to ensure that a host computer the user is trying to reach is actually operating. Ping works by sending an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request to a specified interface on the network and waiting for a reply. Ping can be used for troubleshooting to test connectivity and determine response time.

As a verb, ping means "to get the attention of" or "to check for the presence of" another party online. The computer acronym (for Packet Internet or Inter-Network Groper) was contrived to match the submariners' term for the sound of a returned sonar pulse.

Tip: To find out the dot address (such as 205.245.172.72) for a given domain name, Windows users can go to their command prompt screen (start/run/cmd) and enter ping xxxxx.yyy (where xxxxx is the second-level domain name like "whatis" and yyy is the top-level domain name like "com").

Getting started with ping

To explore how ping is used in the enterprise, here is an additional resource:

Permitting Ping: ICMP Exceptions: Ping is a crucial security tool for any network admin. Read Mark Minasi's thoughts on ping in this excerpt from his book, "Mastering Windows Server 2003 Upgrade Edition for SP1 and R2."

Read more about it:
>>	George Mays provides a more technical explanation of how ping works.