Ping

Digram example of ping1. Short for Packet InterNet Groper, ping is a utility used to verify if a network data packet is capable of being distributed to an address without errors. The ping utility is commonly used to check for network errors.

In the image to the right, is an example of what happens when a ping is sent. As can be seen, the user would first start by using the ping command to ping the IP address 204.228.150.3. Next the request is sent over the network hub and router in this basic example to the other computer with this IP address. Once successfully received the computer replies to the ping with a pong response and once received, the time between when sent and when received is calculated to generate an average response or latency time.

If the ping does not reach its destination, it is either due to a network configuration error or because it is being blocked the sending computer encounters a request timed out error.

2. In computer gaming, a ping, also known as a high ping or low ping, is a measurement of how fast the connection to the game server the player has. For example, a player with a low 50 ping is going to have a better game experience than a player with a high 250 ping. To help with server response times some game servers may only accept users who have a low ping.

Also see: Echo, Game definitions, ICMP, Latency, LPB, Network definitions, Ping of death, Ping pong