Ping Tool
Ping a hostname or IP address from the server to check connectivity and measure round-trip response time.
About the Ping Tool
Ping uses ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo requests to test network connectivity between two hosts. It sends packets to a target host and measures the round-trip time (RTT) for each response. Ping is one of the most fundamental network diagnostic tools, used to verify that a host is reachable and to estimate network latency.
Reading ping output
- RTT (Round-trip time) — The time in milliseconds for a packet to travel to the host and back. Under 1ms is local network; 1–50ms is typical for UK/European hosts; over 150ms is intercontinental.
- TTL (Time to Live) — The number of router hops the packet passed through before arriving. Starting values differ by OS: Linux typically starts at 64, Windows at 128, Cisco at 255. A low TTL on the response indicates many hops.
- Packet loss — Percentage of sent packets that received no reply. Any packet loss on a reliable connection indicates problems. Loss is reported as
X% packet loss.
When ping is blocked
Many servers and firewalls block ICMP by design. A failed ping does not mean the host is offline — it could simply be filtering ICMP while still serving HTTP, SSH, or other TCP connections. Conversely, some hosts respond to ping even when their services are down. Use port checking or HTTP status tools for service-level verification.
This tool pings from the ToolForge server, not your local machine. It is useful for checking external reachability rather than your local network connection.