LINUX COMMAND ATLAS · COMMAND GUIDE

Linux ping command

Send diagnostic echo requests to test network reachability.

iputils

Syntax

Command form

ping [OPTION]... DESTINATION

7 options

Option	What it does
`-c COUNT`	Stop after sending COUNT requests.
`-i INTERVAL`	Wait INTERVAL seconds between requests.
`-s SIZE`	Set the number of payload bytes.
`-W TIMEOUT`	Wait TIMEOUT seconds for a response.
`-I INTERFACE\|ADDRESS`	Set the outgoing interface or source address.
`-n`	Do not resolve addresses to hostnames.
`-4 / -6`	Use IPv4 or IPv6 only.

2 examples

Send diagnostic echo requests to test network reachability.

ping -c 4 example.com

Send three requests through eth0 (if permitted).

ping -I eth0 -c 3 192.0.2.1

A failed ping does not prove a host is down; firewalls may block ICMP. Availability, syntax and permissions vary by system.