CMSY129 Principles of the
Internet
Ping and Tracert
ping
[from the TCP/IP acronym "Packet INternet
Groper", prob.
originally contrived to match the submariners' term for a sonar pulse]
Slang term for a small network message (ICMP ECHO) sent by a computer to check for the
presence and aliveness of another.
You ping from your DOS prompt:
type ping {URL) i.e., to ping this site, you would type this at the c:\ prompt:
ping classweb.howardcc.edu
When it pings, it will return the IP address (for example, 198.51.197.161) and give you the results. In the following case, it timed out (did not find the machine).
In the following case, it found the address (www.page-designs.com) when it pinged:
tracert
(trace route)
You can also use tracert to see how many "hops" across the internet it takes to reach your destination URL, by typing "tracert" at the DOS prompt (again, a Windows protocol), followed by the URL. To ping HCC's home page, you would type this at the c:\ prompt:
tracert www.howardcc.edu
On this tracert, it took 21 hops across the internet to get from my machine to HCC's web server four miles across town.
