What is the purpose of the 'ping' command?

• A. Display detailed file information
• B. Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST to a network host
• C. Create a symbolic link
• D. Terminate a running process

Answer: (B)

The purpose of the 'ping' command is to send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to a network host. This is used primarily to check the reachability of a device on a network and to measure the round-trip time for messages sent from the originating host to a destination computer and back. When you execute the ping command, it sends these packets and waits for the response, which indicates whether the target host is reachable and the amount of time it took to receive a response. This command is fundamental in network troubleshooting and diagnostics, allowing users to verify that their network connection is operational and to identify where potential issues might be occurring in the network path.