8.7 TCP/IP Utilities
8.7.2 Ping
Ping is a simple but highly useful command-line utility that is included in most implementations of TCP/IP. Ping can be used with either the hostname or the IP address to test IP connectivity. Ping works by sending an ICMP echo request to the destination computer. The receiving computer then sends back an ICMP echo reply message.

It is also possible to use Ping to find the IP address of a host when the name is known. If the ping apple.com command is typed as shown in the figure, the IP address from which the reply is returned will display.
 

Lab Activity  (PDF, 12 KB)
  In this lab, students will use the Ping command to test connectivity and troubleshoot problems based on Ping command results.