The Ping utility uses the echo request, and echo reply messages within the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), an integral part of any IP network. When a ping command is issued, an echo request packet is sent to the address specified. When the remote host receives the echo request, it responds with an echo reply packet.
By default, the ping command sends several echo requests, typically four or five. The result of each echo request is displayed, showing whether the request received a successful response, how many bytes were received in response, the Time to Live (TTL), and how long the response took to receive, along with statistics about packet loss and round trip times.Read more