Ping
Updated: January 21, 2005
Verifies IP-level connectivity to another TCP/IP computer by
sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request
messages. The receipt of corresponding Echo Reply messages are
displayed, along with round-trip times. Ping is the primary
TCP/IP command used to troubleshoot connectivity, reachability,
and name resolution. Used without parameters, ping
displays help.
Syntax
ping[-t] [-a] [-nCount] [-l
Size] [-f] [-iTTL] [-vTOS]
[-rCount] [-sCount] [{-jHostList
| -k HostList}] [-wTimeout] [-R]
[-SSrcAddr] [-4] [-6] TargetName
Parameters
-t
Specifies that ping continue sending Echo Request
messages to the destination until interrupted. To
interrupt and display statistics, press CTRL+BREAK.
To interrupt and quit ping, press CTRL+C.
-a
Specifies that reverse name resolution is performed
on the destination IP address. If this is
successful, ping displays the corresponding host
name.
-nCount
Specifies the number of Echo Request messages sent.
The default is 4.
-l Size
Specifies the length, in bytes, of the Data field in
the Echo Request messages sent. The default is 32.
The maximum Size is 65,527.
-f
Specifies that Echo Request messages are sent with
the Don't Fragment flag in the IP header set to 1
(available on IPv4 only). The Echo Request message
cannot be fragmented by routers in the path to the
destination. This parameter is useful for
troubleshooting path Maximum Transmission Unit
(PMTU) problems.
-i TTL
Specifies the value of the TTL field in the IP
header for Echo Request messages sent. The default
is the default TTL value for the host. The maximum
TTL is 255.
-vTOS
Specifies the value of the Type of Service (TOS)
field in the IP header for Echo Request messages
sent (available on IPv4 only). The default is 0.
TOS is specified as a decimal value from 0
through 255.
-rCount
Specifies that the Record Route option in the IP
header is used to record the path taken by the Echo
Request message and corresponding Echo Reply message
(available on IPv4 only). Each hop in the path uses
an entry in the Record Route option. If possible,
specify a Count that is equal to or greater
than the number of hops between the source and
destination. The Count must be a minimum of 1
and a maximum of 9.
-sCount
Specifies that the Internet Timestamp option in the
IP header is used to record the time of arrival for
the Echo Request message and corresponding Echo
Reply message for each hop. The Count must be
a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4. This is required
for link-local destination addresses.
-jHostList
Specifies that the Echo Request messages use the
Loose Source Route option in the IP header with the
set of intermediate destinations specified in
HostList (available on IPv4 only). With loose
source routing, successive intermediate destinations
can be separated by one or multiple routers. The
maximum number of addresses or names in the host
list is 9. The host list is a series of IP addresses
(in dotted decimal notation) separated by spaces.
-kHostList
Specifies that the Echo Request messages use the
Strict Source Route option in the IP header with the
set of intermediate destinations specified in
HostList (available on IPv4 only). With strict
source routing, the next intermediate destination
must be directly reachable (it must be a neighbor on
an interface of the router). The maximum number of
addresses or names in the host list is 9. The host
list is a series of IP addresses (in dotted decimal
notation) separated by spaces.
-wTimeout
Specifies the amount of time, in milliseconds, to
wait for the Echo Reply message that corresponds to
a given Echo Request message to be received. If the
Echo Reply message is not received within the
time-out, the "Request timed out" error message is
displayed. The default time-out is 4000 (4 seconds).
-R
Specifies that the round-trip path is traced
(available on IPv6 only).
-SSrcAddr
Specifies the source address to use (available on
IPv6 only).
-4
Specifies that IPv4 is used to ping. This parameter
is not required to identify the target host with an
IPv4 address. It is only required to identify the
target host by name.
-6
Specifies that IPv6 is used to ping. This parameter
is not required to identify the target host with an
IPv6 address. It is only required to identify the
target host by name.
TargetName
Specifies the host name or IP address of the
destination.
/?
Displays help at the command prompt.
Remarks
- You can use ping to test both the computer name and the IP address of the computer. If pinging the IP address is successful, but pinging the computer name is not, you might have a name resolution problem. In this case, ensure that the computer name you are specifying can be resolved through the local Hosts file, by using Domain Name System (DNS) queries, or through NetBIOS name resolution techniques.
- This command is available only if the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol is installed as a component in the properties of a network adapter in Network Connections.
Examples
The following example shows ping command output:
C:\>ping example.microsoft.com
Pinging example.microsoft.com [192.168.239.132] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.239.132: bytes=32 time=101ms TTL=124
Reply from 192.168.239.132: bytes=32 time=100ms TTL=124
Reply from 192.168.239.132: bytes=32 time=120ms TTL=124
Reply from 192.168.239.132: bytes=32 time=120ms TTL=124
To ping the destination 10.0.99.221 and resolve 10.0.99.221 to its host name, type:
ping -a 10.0.99.221
To ping the destination 10.0.99.221 with 10 Echo Request messages, each of which has a Data field of 1000 bytes, type:
ping -n 10 -l 1000 10.0.99.221
To ping the destination 10.0.99.221 and record the route for 4 hops, type:
ping -r 4 10.0.99.221
To ping the destination 10.0.99.221 and specify the loose source route of 10.12.0.1-10.29.3.1-10.1.44.1, type:
ping -j 10.12.0.1 10.29.3.1 10.1.44.1 10.0.99.221
Formatting legend
| Format | Meaning |
| Italic | Information that the user must supply |
| Bold | Elements that the user must type exactly as shown |
| Ellipsis (...) | Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command line |
| Between brackets ([]) | Optional items |
| Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example: {even|odd} | Set of choices from which the user must choose only one |
| Courier font | Code or program output |