How to TroubleShoot Your Network Connection With Ping Command

Date 9/3/2013
The ping command got its name from the sound sonar makes when it “sees” something. In sonar, you send out a signal and measure the time it takes to get there. The ping command does the same thing. This tells if a computer or device is out there or not, which is the purpose of the command.
 
Ping to Monitor internet Connection 

Go to Start -> Run and type"cmd"after opening the command window type “ping -t 8.8.8.8″ without the quotes. The “-t” switch is important as it means that the ping command will run forever unless stopped manually by hitting Ctrl + C.

 
The output of the ping command, as illustrated in the above screenshot, shows the live status of your Internet connection. If the status reads as “reply from 8.8.8.8,” the machine is online and in all other cases, the Internet connection is down.

For using the ping command for your IP or for a website Just type “ping” followed by an IP number or a website name. It will show you if a destination is reachable and how long it takes to get there.

Click on the “Start” button > “run” > and type in “cmd” & enter to bring up the command line. After opning the command window i type "ping surkun.blogspt.in" for my site address.


The Loop-Back Address

Now lets talking about  loop-back address. This is a special IP number, 127.0.0.1, and is useful in checking your own computer. When you ping this IP number, you ping your computer to test if the system is working. It is an internal process. If this does not work, you know the problem is in your computer. In this case, you may simply need to reboot the machine, but it could be a more serious issue.

Type in ping 127.0.0.1 and hit enter  


Exceptions to the Rule

When it comes to websites and servers, not all of them will let you ping them. For example, Microsoft’s website will not show up if you ping it, but Google will. These sites, while working, will give you a “Request timed out.” error message.


How can a website show up on your browser and not on the ping command? The Internet works using a system of standard instructions called protocols, TCP in a website’s case. The ping command works with another protocol called ICMP. The main use for ICMP is to test connections and find out where a problem is. It is supposed to send back information to the sender letting them know if the message was received. If you turn off ICMP, then ping will not work. A firewall is usually used to do this.

The first step is to ping yourself. The next step is to ping your router. To do that you need to know how to use the Ipconfig command.


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