The ping command is a diagnostic tool that allows you to check the status of a connection between a local host and at least one remote device within a TCP/IP network. It is used to determine whether a specific IP address or host is accessible from the network.
Its operation is simple: it sends a series of “packets” to the indicated server, and if the ping works correctly, the server returns them to confirm receipt. This allows us to obtain the IP address that a given domain or server responds to, and to know whether it is responding or not.
How to perform a ping depends on the operating system you have. In this tutorial, we will explain how to do it on the three main reference systems: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
How to ping in Windows
To run a ping from a Windows device, you need to access the system’s Command Prompt (CMD). You just need to search for CMD in your start menu to find it:
Once open, you can already run the ping without issues. You only need to type ping followed by the domain/server name you want to check. In this example, we used cdmon.com:
How to ping in Mac OS X
From OS X, you have two different ways to perform a ping. Mac OS X includes an application called "Network Utility", which allows you to run a ping through an interface. You simply need to enter the domain/server name you want to ping and click on "Ping". In this example, we used the domain google.com:
The other way to perform a ping is similar to the method shown for Windows. You must open the "Terminal" application on your Mac OS X and simply type ping followed by the domain/server name you want to check. In this example, we used google.com:
How to ping in Linux
In Linux, you must open your application launcher and search for "Terminal". Once open, the process is the same as in the other operating systems: type ping followed by the domain/server name you want to check. In this example, we used the domain cdmon.com: