How to Find a Computer Name on a Network Using Ping

The ping command is a lot like ping pong. It sends a packet of information out and hopes to receive it back.

The ping command is a simple but powerful tool in managing a computer network. To find a computer's assigned name on a network using the ping command, you will need to know the computer's Internet protocol (IP) address. Each computer on a network has a different IP address. The ping command allows you to contact the IP address and get it to return the computer's workgroup name to you.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Network

Instructions

Finding the Computer Name

1. Open a command prompt window. This is done by clicking the Start menu. Next, find the Accessories sub-menu. The command prompt application should now be on screen.

2. If you have the computer's IP address at your disposal, you can skip ahead to Step 3. If you have nothing to go on, you can get a list of all active IP addresses on your network by using the netstat command. In your opened command prompt window, type netstat -n. A list of all IP's currently active on the network is returned.

3. At this point, you have an IP address, either one you knew all along or one from your IP list you created in the first step. Now, type the next command: ping -a <the IP address>. Make sure to leave a space after the "-a" part. In the ping report that is returned by the other computer, you will find the computer's name.

Tips & Warnings

• The ping command has many other uses. Type ping -? at the command prompt to see all the command-line switches you can apply to ping.

References

• TechRepublic: New to Networking? Introducing the Ping Command