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The useful program ping can be used to quickly test connections on your computer network. sends a signal from your computer to a specified network address. If the computer at that address responds, ping displays statistics on the response time. If the computer does not respond, ping displays a warning message; in that case, you know a problem exists somewhere with the network. Ping serves as a quick, simple way to check the connection for a newly-installed computer or for suspected problems within your company's network. You can use ping through the command-line interface of the Terminal app in OS X.
1.Obtain a valid IP address from your network administrator. An IP address consists of four numbers, from zero to 255, separated by periods, such as 192.168.0.101.
2.Click the Finder icon on your Mac’s dock. This icon appears as the Mac “smiling face,” usually in shades of blue.
3.Click 'Go' in the top menu bar and choose 'Utilities' from the drop-down menu.
4.Click “Terminal.” The icon for Terminal is a black display screen showing a command prompt. Clicking it opens a window into which you can type text.
5.Click in the Terminal window. Type “ping” without quotes, followed by a space and the IP address you obtained earlier. Press the “Enter” key.
6.Let the ping program run for about 10 seconds. If your network is working correctly, ping displays the results of its tests, which appear similar to the following:
PING 192.168.1.101 (192.168.1.101): 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 192.168.1.101: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=1.107 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.101: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=1.202 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.101: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=1.315 ms
The “time” statistic on each line is the round-trip time from your computer to the network destination, in milliseconds. Ping continues to run until you stop it. Press “Ctrl-C” simultaneously to halt the program.
Tips
- If ping displays the message, “Request timed out,” the destination computer may be turned off, your network may have problems or a problem exists with your Mac’s network hardware or software.
- On Mac computers, Ping also refers to a social network feature of iTunes. Don’t confuse this with the ping network utility, which is a separate program.
References (4)
About the Author
Chicago native John Papiewski has a physics degree and has been writing since 1991. He has contributed to 'Foresight Update,' a nanotechnology newsletter from the Foresight Institute. He also contributed to the book, 'Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance.'
Photo Credits
- Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
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Papiewski, John. 'How to Ping Using the Terminal App on a Mac.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ping-using-terminal-app-mac-49695.html. Accessed 25 October 2019.
Papiewski, John. (n.d.). How to Ping Using the Terminal App on a Mac. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ping-using-terminal-app-mac-49695.html
Papiewski, John. 'How to Ping Using the Terminal App on a Mac' accessed October 25, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ping-using-terminal-app-mac-49695.html
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