A network connects two or more devices. The ping command tests a computer's ability to connect to a specified destination computer. It is a simple way to verify that a node can connect with another node over the network. The ping command sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request
messages to the destination computer and waits for a response. By default, the ping command sends a series of four messages to the destination node. The program confirms each response received from the target node. Each ping request is 32 bytes in size by default. The ping command reports the amount of time (in milliseconds) between sending requests and receiving responses.
The TTL (Time-to-Live), which is set by the system, is between 1 and 255. Different operating systems have different defaults. Each router that receives the packet subtracts 1 from that number. As long as the number remains greater than 0, the router forwards the packet to the next router; otherwise, it discards it and sends an ICMP message back to the host. In this lab activity, you will check the connectivity of networked devices using the ping command.
Answer the following question based on your understanding:
1. Did ping work correctly?
2. What was the average round-trip time?
3. What is the IP address of your home gateway?
4. What is the IP address of your computer's network card?
5. What is the MAC address of your computer's network card?