/usr/etc/ping [ -s ] [ -lrRv ] host [ packetsize ] [ count ]
This program is available with the Networking software installation option. Refer to [a manual with the abbreviation INSTALL] for information on how to install optional software.
ping utilizes the ICMP protocol's mandatory ECHO_REQUEST datagram to elicit an ICMP ECHO_RESPONSE from the specified host , or network gateway. ECHO_REQUEST datagrams, or ``pings,'' have an IP and ICMP header, followed by a structtimeval, and then an arbitrary number of bytes to pad out the packet. If host responds, ping will print host is alive on the standard output and exit. Otherwise after timeout seconds, it will write no answer from host. The default value of timeout is 20 seconds.
When the -s flag is specified, ping sends one datagram per second, and prints one line of output for every ECHO_RESPONSE that it receives. No output is produced if there is no response. In this second form, ping computes round trip times and packet loss statistics; it displays a summary of this information upon termination or timeout. The default datagram packet size is 64 bytes, or you can specify a size with the packetsize command-line argument. If an optional count is given, ping sends only that number of requests.
When using ping for fault isolation, first `ping' the local host to verify that the local network interface is running.
Created by unroff & hp-tools. © somebody (See intro for details). All Rights Reserved. Last modified 11/5/97