LAB: PING Command

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lab, students will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of the PING command.

• Verify connectivity between devices on a network.

• Measure network latency (response time).

• Identify packet loss.

• Test communication with websites and IP addresses.

• Use common PING command options.

• Troubleshoot basic network connectivity problems.

Background

The PING (Packet Internet Groper) command is one of the most commonly used network troubleshooting tools. It tests whether a remote device is reachable over a network by sending ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) Echo Request packets and waiting for Echo Reply messages.

Network administrators use PING to:

• Verify network connectivity

• Measure response time (latency)

• Detect packet loss

• Confirm that devices are online

• Troubleshoot communication problems

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or Windows 11

• Internet connection

• Command Prompt access

Lab Scenario

You are working as an entry-level IT support technician. A user reports that they cannot access websites or shared network resources. Your task is to determine whether the issue is related to network connectivity by using the PING command.

Part 1 – Open Command Prompt

1. Press Windows + R

2. Type:

cmd

3. Press Enter

Part 2 – Ping the Local Computer

Display your network configuration to find your IP address.

ipconfig

Then ping your own IP address.

ping <your_IP_address>

Example:

ping 192.168.1.25

Example Output

Reply from 192.168.1.25:
bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Questions

1. Did the ping succeed?

2. What was the response time?

3. What does TTL represent?

Part 3 – Ping the Default Gateway

Find your Default Gateway using:

ipconfig

Example:

Default Gateway . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Now ping the gateway.

ping 192.168.1.1

Questions

1. Was the gateway reachable?

2. What was the average response time?

3. Why is the default gateway important?

Part 4 – Ping a Public IP Address

Test Internet connectivity by pinging Google’s public DNS server.

ping 8.8.8.8

Example Output

Reply from 8.8.8.8:
bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=118

Questions

1. Was the Internet reachable?

2. What was the average response time?

3. Was there any packet loss?

Part 5 – Ping a Website by Name

Test DNS name resolution.

ping google.com

Example Output

Pinging google.com [142.250.72.14]

Reply from 142.250.72.14:
bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=117

Questions

1. Did the hostname resolve to an IP address?

2. What IP address was returned?

3. Why is DNS required?

Part 6 – Test Packet Loss

Send ten Echo Requests.

ping -n 10 google.com

Example Summary

Packets:
Sent = 10
Received = 10
Lost = 0 (0% loss)

Questions

1. How many packets were sent?

2. How many were received?

3. What was the packet loss percentage?

Part 7 – Continuous Ping

Monitor connectivity continuously.

ping -t google.com

Allow the command to run for about one minute.

Press:

Ctrl + C

Observe the statistics.

Questions

1. Were any packets lost?

2. Did response times remain consistent?

3. Why is continuous ping useful?

Part 8 – Change Packet Size

Increase the packet size.

ping -l 1024 google.com

Now try:

ping -l 2048 google.com

Questions

1. Did both pings succeed?

2. Did response times change?

3. Why might larger packets affect performance?

Part 9 – Test an Unreachable Address

Ping a reserved test IP address.

ping 203.0.113.1

(Note: This address is reserved for documentation and may not respond.)

Possible Output

Request timed out.

or

Destination host unreachable.

Questions

1. What message was displayed?

2. What does Request timed out mean?

3. What does Destination host unreachable mean?

Part 10 – Compare Different Destinations

Ping each destination.

ping google.com

ping microsoft.com

ping cloudflare.com

Complete the table.

Part 11 – Troubleshooting Scenario

A user cannot access websites.

Perform these tests:

ping 127.0.0.1

ping <your_IP_address>

ping <default_gateway>

ping 8.8.8.8

ping google.com

Determine:

• Is the network adapter functioning?

• Is the local network functioning?

• Is the Internet reachable?

• Is DNS functioning?

Common PING Options

Lab Questions

1. What does the PING command do?

2. What protocol does PING use?

3. What does TTL stand for?

4. What is packet loss?

5. What causes high latency?

6. Why would a ping fail?

7. What is the difference between pinging an IP address and a hostname?

8. Which command sends continuous pings?

9. Why is the default gateway tested?

10. How can PING help troubleshoot network problems?

Challenge Activity

Open several applications that use the Internet (such as a web browser, email client, or streaming service).

Run the following commands:

ping google.com

ping microsoft.com

ping 1.1.1.1

ping 8.8.8.8

Record your results.

Deliverables

Students must submit:

• Screenshots of each PING command executed.

• Completed data tables.

• Answers to all lab questions.

• A troubleshooting report identifying where connectivity succeeds or fails.

• A one-page summary explaining how the PING command is used to diagnose network connectivity issues.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this lab, students will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of the PING command and the ICMP protocol.

• Verify communication between local and remote devices.

• Measure latency and identify packet loss.

• Differentiate between local network, Internet, and DNS-related problems.

• Use common PING options to customize tests.

• Apply PING as a first-step troubleshooting tool for diagnosing network connectivity issues.

Bonus Activity (Advanced)

Use the PING command to compare IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity.

ping -4 google.com

ping -6 google.com

Then answer the following:

1. Which protocol responded faster?

2. Did both tests succeed?

3. What are the advantages of IPv6 over IPv4?

4. Why might an organization choose to deploy IPv6?

Reflection: Explain why the PING command is often the first networking tool used by IT professionals when diagnosing connectivity problems, and describe how it can help distinguish between device, network, Internet, and DNS issues.