Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingAutomation and ProgrammabilityEasy
A network administrator is designing an automation workflow where a script needs to determine if a network device is reachable before attempting to configure it via an API. Which command-line utility is commonly used to test the reachability of a host on an IP network?
- Aipconfig
- Bping
- Cnetstat
- Dtraceroute
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. ping
The 'ping' utility sends ICMP echo request packets to a target host and listens for echo replies, making it the most common and straightforward tool to test network reachability.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Ipconfig (or ifconfig/ip addr) displays network interface configuration, not for testing remote host reachability.
- C. Netstat displays network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics, not primarily for testing reachability.
- D. Traceroute maps the path to a destination, but 'ping' is a more direct test of simple reachability.
Ping (Packet Internet Groper)
Ping is a network utility used to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. It measures the round-trip time for messages sent from the originating host to a destination computer and reports errors.
- Uses ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo request/reply messages.
- Determines if a host is alive and reachable.
- Measures latency (round-trip time) and packet loss.
Memory trick: PING for REACH, TRACE for PATH, NETSTAT for CONNECTIONS, IPCONFIG for INTERFACES.