Pinging on Mac OS X &  Mac OS X Jaguar

Ping stands for Packet Internet Groper.  Pinging helps diagnose problems with DNS configuration and TCP/IP.  If you have a Connects but can't browse problem, you can diagnose the cause of it by Pinging a name address or an IP address.  You can also run a traceroute to see where the network is down.

There are two programs you can use to Ping a name address or an IP address with Mac OSX:  Terminal and Network Utility.

You can access them by opening the Hard Drive, expanding the Applications folder, and expanding the Utilities folder.

First, we'll use the Network Utility to Ping a site.  Double-click on Network Utility.

Pinging via the Network Utility applet:

There are two ways to Ping an Internet site:
    1.  by name address i.e., www.yahoo.com, www.ebay.com, etc.
    2.  by IP address i.e., 66.218.71.80, etc.

Select the Ping tab.

Pinging a Name Address:

In the field Please enter the network address to Ping, enter an Internet address.  In this example, I used www.yahoo.com.

When Pinging a name address you are testing the DNS configuration.  As you can see,  there is a response.  The IP address of yahoo.com was returned.  If this were not so, the server would have timed out.  From this response we know two things:
    1.  the site is there and working (in this case yahoo.com).
    2.  the DNS addresses are configured properly on your computer.

Pinging an IP Address:

When Pinging an IP address you are testing the integrity of the TCP/IP.  In this example, I typed in the IP address of yahoo.com (response from the example above).  As you can see,  there is a response.  We now know two things:
    1.  the site is there and working (66.218.71.80).
    2.  TCP/IP on your computer is functioning properly.

If there is no response, TCP/IP has been corrupted.

Important:  If both the DNS and the TCP/IP are functioning properly, you'll need to reinstall your browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Opera) or upgrade your browser.

Pinging via the Terminal applet:

You can also Ping from the Terminal applet.

To Ping a name address from the Terminal window, type Ping www.address.com (address = the address in question) and click the Enter key.

Important:  there needs to be a space between Ping and the name address.

You'll get the same outcome as you do with the Network Utility.

To Ping an IP address from the Terminal window, type Ping IP adress (IP address = the IP address in question) and click the Enter key.  In this example, I used Yahoo!'s IP address.  You'll want to use the IP address of the site in question.

Important:  there needs to be a space between Ping and the IP address.

You'll get the same outcome as you do with the Network Utility.

Running a Traceroute from the Network Utility:

Another way of identifying problems with browsing is by running a traceroute.

Let me give an example.  Suppose you live in a suburb of Los Angeles and you need to drive to LAX.  As you drive along, you discover that you can't get to the airport because part of the freeway is down or under construction.  There may also be heavy traffic due to rush hour.  The same is true with the Internet.  When you type in a web address, there may be a host that is down, not functioning, or jammed with Internet traffic that prevents you from getting to that address.  You can know which host is down by running a traceroute.

Tracerouting is a network debugging utility that traces the path from source to destination.  This means that if you're running a traceroute from your ISP to Yahoo!, you will see not only the source (you) and the destination (Yahoo!), if it's working, but also all the intermediary hosts along the way.  If one host is down along the path, you will know.

To run a traceroute, open the Network Utility by opening the Hard Drive, expanding the Applications folder, and expanding the Utilities folder.

Note:  You can also run a trace route from the Terminal applet.

Select the Traceroute tab.

Under Please enter the network address to trace an internet route to, enter the name address or IP address you're trying to reach. 

The Traceroute will trace the path from source to destination.  Each number represents a host and one hop.  The fewer hops there are, the quicker you should access the site.  If a host is down, under construction, or inaccessible, the trace route will tell you.