Ping
A tool that sends ICMP echo requests to test reachability and round-trip time to a host.
Ping sends ICMP Echo Request packets to a target IP or hostname and waits for ICMP Echo Reply packets. The output reports round-trip time in milliseconds and packet loss percentage, useful for diagnosing latency and reachability. Windows defaults to four packets; Linux and macOS run continuously until interrupted. The key exam distinction: a host can answer ping yet still have a broken application, so ping confirms only Layer 3 connectivity, not service health. Conversely, no reply does not always mean the host is down — security policies routinely drop ICMP without affecting TCP/UDP traffic.
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