Execute Ping screen

Use this screen to execute the ping command and obtain information about your network. Typically, you use the ping command to:

• test whether or not a specified address in your network is working
• obtain information about how quickly and efficiently your network is processing data packets
• use the diagnostic information available through the command to manage your network

This topic covers:

Running the ping command

Using the ping command for fault isolation

Running the ping command

To run the ping command:

1. On the main menu under Diagnostics, click Execute Ping.
2. On the Execute Ping screen, enter or select the host name or IP address you want to ping.
3. Indicate how you want the ping to run by selecting the following options:

• Do not look up symbolic names for host addresses. Select this option to ping by IP address.
  If you do not select this option, the system looks up symbolic names for the host addresses. To do so, the system uses the domain name server, which translates the IP address to a symbolic name. If the domain name server is unavailable, the ping will not be successful.

• Bypass normal routing tables. Select this option to ping a local host on an attached network. That is, select this option to bypass the routing table and ping a local host through an interface that has no route through it.
  If the host is not on a network that is directly attached, the ping will be unsuccessful and you will receive an error message.

4. Click Execute Ping.
5. If the ping is successful, the Execute Ping results screen displays a brief summary that shows the number of packets sent and received. The summary also shows the minimum, average, and maximum of the round-trip times.
6. If the ping is not successful, the Execute Ping results screen displays a message describing why the ping failed.
7. See Ping results for details.

Using the ping command for fault isolation

To use the ping command to isolate a fault in your network:

1. First ping the server from which you are running the ping command to verify that the local network interface is up and running.
2. If the local interface is working, run the ping utility on the next level of hosts and gateways in your network.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each level of hosts and gateways in your network until you successfully isolate the fault.